A review of the main explanatory models of social anxiety

Abstract

The study of social anxiety disorder (SAD) is a field that has been developing in the last decades. Much research has inquired into this phenomenon in different groups, trying to get information about its prevalence, efficacy of treatment and factors that are part of the processes of generation and maintenance of the disorder. From the beginning the different theoretical postulates about social anxiety have led to the configuration of several explanatory models of the underlying processes. These models have served as basis for further research and some of them are still valid today. On the other hand, the advances in the different methodologies and techniques of analysis have allowed researchers to contrast new models with predictive empirical evidence. In this article a summary of the most important theoretical and empirical models are presented, and their main postulates are explained. Their implications and future lines of work are also discussed.