Fear of Evaluation and Online Self-Disclosure on WeChat: Moderating Effects of Protective Face Orientation

Fear of evaluation is a key factor that affects how social media users present themselves to others, but little is known about the effects and mechanisms involved, especially on the relationship between fear of positive evaluation and online self-disclosure. This study explores how fear of evaluation affects online self-disclosure and examines how this relationship is moderated by protective face orientation in the Chinese context. A total of 750 Chinese WeChat users constituted the sample for a questionnaire-based analysis and regression analysis. The results showed that both fear of positive evaluation and fear of negative evaluation had a significant negative effect on the amount of online self-disclosure and a significant positive effect on the depth of online self-disclosure. Protective face orientation had a moderating effect on the relationship between fear of evaluation and online self-disclosure for both the amount and depth of online self-disclosure. Our findings suggest that social network site (SNS) users' fear of evaluation can be attributed to their cognitive attitude toward the external environment, and the loss of face in the Chinese context can be included in the social context.

Targeting fear of positive evaluation in patients with social anxiety disorder via a brief cognitive behavioural therapy protocol: a proof-of-principle study

Background:Our aim was to develop a brief cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) protocol to augment treatment for social anxiety disorder (SAD). This protocol focused specifically upon fear of positive evaluation (FPE). To our knowledge, this is the first protocol that has been designed to systematically target FPE.Aims:To test the feasibility of a brief (two-session) CBT protocol for FPE and report proof-of-principle data in the form of effect sizes.Method:Seven patients with a principal diagnosis of SAD were recruited to participate. Following a pre-treatment assessment, patients were randomized to either (a) an immediate CBT condition (n = 3), or (b) a comparable wait-list (WL) period (2 weeks; n = 4). Two WL patients also completed the CBT protocol following the WL period (delayed CBT condition). Patients completed follow-up assessments 1 week after completing the protocol.Results:A total of five patients completed the brief, FPE-specific CBT protocol (two of the seven patients were wait-listed only and did not complete delayed CBT). All five patients completed the protocol and provided 1-week follow-up data. CBT patients demonstrated large reductions in FPE-related concerns as well as overall social anxiety symptoms, whereas WL patients demonstrated an increase in FPE-related concerns.Conclusions:Our brief FPE-specific CBT protocol is feasible to use and was associated with large FPE-specific and social anxiety symptom reductions. To our knowledge, this is the first treatment report that has focused on systematic treatment of FPE in patients with SAD. Our protocol warrants further controlled evaluation.

Partners' Support During Good Times: Associations With Fears of Positive and Negative Evaluation

Capitalization interactions within romantic couples, in which they share positive events with each other, are significantly tied to their satisfaction and overall wellbeing. Recent work suggests that social anxiety is negatively associated with beneficial capitalization interactions (i.e., making capitalization bids and responding with active and constructive responses). To further investigate this understanding, we offer a deeper and differentiating look at two core components of social anxiety: fears of positive and negative evaluation. In addition, we offer an innovative look at the varying self-disclosures of capitalization recipients, by using a novel index—Relevant Talking Time (RTT) which examines the duration of relevantly disclosing and discussing one's own good event. We reasoned that the two types of evaluative fears might have different connections to capitalization processes, considering provision, receipt, and self-disclosure. Our findings (N = 74; 37 community couples in a lab-videotaped‘ interaction) suggest that high fear of positive evaluation is associated with poorer provision of active-constructive capitalization, whereas high fear of negative evaluation is associated with a reduced disclosers' RTT. In addition, our results interestingly demonstrate that disclosers' RTT is tied to their partners' anxiety characteristics as well. We discuss the possible implications and explanations of our findings.