Social anxiety is related to dominance but not to affiliation as perceived by self and others: A real-life investigation into the psychobiological perspective on social anxiety

From a biopsychological perspective, social anxiety can be seen as a proneness to act submissively in order to reduce conflict and avoid rejection by others. Research into this framework so far specifically focused on the self perceived social world. Less is known about the relation between social anxiety and one's actual position within a group, as perceived by group members. In addition, research to date showed that social anxiety seems related to social rejection after short interactions, but it is not known if social anxiety affects affiliation ratings after more prolonged interactions. Therefore, the current study tested if social anxiety is related to lower dominance and affiliation ratings by self and others in groups that exist for longer periods of time. Seventy-six participants from eight groups rated themselves and their group members on the dimensions of dominance and affiliation. The results showed that social anxiety was negatively related to dominance but not to affiliation. These results indicate that it is necessary to investigate social evaluations of individuals with social anxiety in more naturalistic and less structured settings. Also, the results hint that it might be worthwhile to investigate if specific safety behaviors are related to lower dominance ratings by others.