Examining the role of extraversion and affiliation motivation as predictors of social anxiety

This study examined the role of extraversion and Hill's (1987) aspects of affiliation motivation, which include emotional support, attention, positive stimulation, and social comparison motivations, as predictors of social anxiety. Undergraduate students (N = 310) completed measures of extraversion and Hill's (1987) aspects of affiliation motivation, with responses analysed through hierarchical regression. The regression model showed that extraversion and affiliation motivation significantly predict social anxiety. More specifically, being less extroverted and possessing an interpersonal style oriented toward attention seeking significantly predicted social anxiety. The sample for this study was drawn from an Australian university and not specifically from a clinical population. Replicating this research in a clinical context could provide insight into both the collective and individual differences around social anxiety, extraversion and affiliation motivation. Also, this approach could better inform clinical interventions and facilitate therapy tailored to address, for example, low extraversion or specific aspects of affiliation motivation contributing to an individual's social anxiety.