Meta-perceptive accuracy in social anxiety

Meta-perceptions are the beliefs that people hold regarding the way others view them. Cognitive therapists suggest that socially anxious persons hold inaccurate meta-perceptions because they derive them from beliefs about themselves, whereas non anxious persons have accurate meta-perceptions because they base them on the observations of others. Social psychologists, however, argue that even non-anxious persons derive meta-perceptions from self-perceptions. The relationship between self-perceptions, self-focused attention and meta-perception in both socially anxious and non-anxious individuals was examined to determine which model was most applicable. Interpersonal ratings involving self-, other-, and meta-perceptions of anxiety and likeability were collected in a round-robin format within groups. Self-report measures of trait social anxiety, focus of attention, and rumination were also measured. Analyses employed Kenny's Social Relations Model (SRM) to determine that, in general, meta-perceptions were accurate for ratings of anxiety. A lack of consensus by social partners prevented the testing of accuracy for ratings of likeability. Social anxiety, attentional focus and rumination had no significant influence on accuracy. Self-perceptions were the primary significant determinant for meta-perceptions for all participants. These results support the social psychological model and suggest that socially anxious people use the same processing strategies as their non-anxious peers. It is differences in their self-perception that skew their beliefs. Clinical implications of these findings are offered.