Volume 4, Issue 4 p. 251-258
Practitioner Report

Task concentration training and fear of blushing

Susan M. Bögels

Corresponding Author

Susan M. Bögels

Department of Experimental Abnormal Psychology, Maastricht University, The Netherlands

Department of Experimental and Abnormal Psychology, Maastricht University, PO-Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands. Fax: 043-3670968. E-mail: [email protected].Search for more papers by this author
Sandra Mulkens

Sandra Mulkens

Department of Experimental Abnormal Psychology, Maastricht University, The Netherlands

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Peter J. De Jong

Peter J. De Jong

Department of Experimental Abnormal Psychology, Maastricht University, The Netherlands

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Abstract

Self-focused attention (SFA) is considered to be an important factor in the maintenance of social phobia. It is argued that this might be especially so in erytrophobia since physiological arousal (notably blushing) serves to focus attention inwards and heightened SFA may cause a blushing reaction. From this perspective, a treatment strategy is proposed that specifically aims at reducing SFA in erytrophobics. Two case studies are presented to illustrate the clinical use of task concentration training. Results revealed that task concentration training strongly decreased blushing propensity, fear of blushing, avoidance behaviour, and negative beliefs about the consequences of blushing. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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