Explain how cognitive factors affect the onset and maintenance of social phobia. Provide three specific examples to illustrate your understanding.

What will be an ideal response?

Cognitive factors play a role in both the onset and maintenance of social phobia. It has been suggested that those who develop social phobias may tend to expect that others will reject them or view them negatively, setting the stage for a fear of any situation in which one will be evaluated. An expectation that one will behave in a socially unacceptable fashion can also contribute to the development of social phobia, as well as increase the chance that one's behavior will be unacceptable. Thus, negative expectations of both how one will be perceived and how one will act can contribute to social phobia. These cognitive distortions may then maintain social phobia by increasing social awkwardness and a belief in negative evaluations. There is also some evidence to suggest that perceptions of uncontrollability and unpredictability, possibly resulting from social defeat, may also play a role in the development of social phobia. GRADING RUBRIC: 6 points total, 2 for each of 3 cognitive factors identified.