An Acceptance and Mindfulness-Based Perspective on Social Anxiety Disorder

Abstract

(From the chapter) Social anxiety disorder (SAD), also known as social phobia, is a common and often debilitating anxiety disorder. The cardinal features of SAD are anxiety in and avoidance of situations involving interpersonal behavior, social performance, or both. We suggest that the concept of mindfulness, properly deconstructed, holds considerable promise in both the understanding and treatment of SAD. The nonjudgmental acceptance component of mindfulness may be especially important in understanding the maintenance of the disorder, and in treatments designed to increase experiential acceptance as a tool for promoting action toward chosen goals, and life values have been developed and are currently being evaluated. The importance of methodologically sound research in this area cannot be overstated. Although we clearly believe that the concept of mindfulness has considerable utility, the rapid increase in interest in the concept runs the risk of transforming it into yet another psychotherapy fad, only to be subsequently dismissed as the next innovation comes along. To prevent this fate, in addition to ongoing clinical development, the concept of mindfulness should be subjected to critical analysis, and strong tests of resulting hypotheses should be conducted. Our hope is that this chapter may serve as an impetus to such research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved)