Graduation Year

2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree

M.A.

Degree Name

Master of Arts (M.A.)

Degree Granting Department

Psychology

Major Professor

Fallon Goodman, Ph.D.

Co-Major Professor

Vicky Phares, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Max Owens, Ph.D.

Keywords

Ecological Momentary Assessment, Social Functioning, Social Anxiety Disorder, Social Impairment, Desire to Socialize, Desire to Avoid

Abstract

Authenticity, the sense of being true to oneself, may be less sought out or rewarding whenconcerns with social approval and/or rejection take priority. The present study extends prior work by investigating the moderating role of momentary social anxiety in concurrent relationships between (1) perceptions of social interaction partner (i.e., feeling close to or judged by an interaction partner) and authenticity and (2) expressivity while socializing and authenticity. This study also aimed to identify (3) how momentary social anxiety moderates the prospective relationship between authenticity and social approach/avoidance motivation. Using ecological momentary assessment (EMA), data was collected from 55 participants over 14 days. Results from multilevel models (prompts nested within participants) indicate that participants felt more authentic when they interacted with close others and less authentic with greater perceived judgment, and that these associations appear stronger when people are more socially anxious. Social anxiety moderated the relationship between authenticity and social avoidance motivation, such that it was stronger in moments of higher social anxiety. Findings suggest that momentary social anxiety may play a crucial role in context-dependent feelings of authenticity and social motivation.

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