Self-descriptions of socially phobic persons in short-term group psychotherapy

Abstract

This paper explores how socially phobic persons exhibit their self-images through self-descriptions expressed in a naturalistic group therapy context. The data, which is analysed qualitatively, consists of videotaped therapy sessions, transcribed verbatim, from two groups of individuals (n = 17, mainly women) attending short cognitive–constructive psychotherapy. Seven categories of self-descriptions are found. Three categories –‘self as miserable,’ ‘self as insufficient’ and ‘self as transparent’ – relate to experiential self-images. Four categories – ‘self as adjusting and pleasing others,’ ‘self as demanding toward self,’ ‘self as outsider, different, isolated’ and ‘self as hiding and controlling some feelings and features in oneself’ – describe strategies of dealing with negative self-images. Three client subgroups are also identifiable; namely, ‘other-oriented,’ ‘isolated’ and ‘self-demanding’ terms that represent participants according to their use of coping strategy. The results of this study support the view that a negative self-image is central to social phobia, and highlight the diversity of manifestations of a negative self-image in group therapy conversations.