Chapter 5 - Social Anxiety Disorder and Its Relationship to Perfectionism

Abstract

Social evaluation and scrutiny by others are core features of social anxiety disorder. Individuals with social anxiety disorder perceive themselves as not meeting the expectations of others, and they believe others will evaluate them negatively as a result. These features of social anxiety disorder have been central concepts in theorizing perfectionism as well. Developments in the conceptualization and measurement of perfectionism make it possible to gain a much clearer picture of its role in various forms of psychopathology, including social anxiety disorder (SAD). This chapter reviews the evidence linking perfectionism with social anxiety and SAD, examining studies linking measures of social anxiety and perfectionism in nonclinical and SAD samples, and studies of the role of perfectionism in social anxiety contexts. The implications of these findings for avoidance of social-evaluative situations are also discussed.