Conditioning theory: a model for the etiology of public speaking anxiety?

• Published in: Behaviour research and therapy Vol. 33; no. 5; pp. 567 - 571
• Main Authors: Hofmann, Stefan G., Ehlers, Anke, Roth, Walton T.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01-06-1995; Elsevier Science; Elsevier Science Ltd
• Subjects: Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Anxiety - psychology; Anxiety disorders. Neuroses; Arousal; Biological and medical sciences; Conditioning, Classical; Fear & phobias; Female; Humans; Internal-External Control; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Phobia; Phobic Disorders - psychology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Public speaking; Social Environment; Social Perception; Social research; Verbal Behavior; Human; Etiology; Social phobia; Theory; Anxiety disorder; Reinforcement; Speech; Conditioning; Behaviorism; Verbal communication
• ISSN: 0005-7967; 1873-622X
• DOI: 10.1016/0005-7967(94)00072-R

To study the etiology of public speaking anxiety (speech phobia), 30
Ss with the fear of public speaking, and 24 controls without this fear were asked about past public speaking experiences, their beliefs about the main reason for their phobia, and their concerns in the feared situation. All speech phobics met the
DSM-III-R criteria for social phobia. Results showed that traumatic external events, vicarious and informational learning—the causes for phobia that fit in best with Rachman's conditioning theory—were notably uncommon among these phobics, who attributed their fear most often to panic attacks. Yet it was not clear whether panic attacks were causes or consequences of phobia.