Mechanisms of Learning and Behavior Change in Social Anxiety Disorder

Mechanisms that determine social behavior are an integral component of understanding social anxieties and fears across continua of severity, including their pathological manifestations. The current literature compellingly focuses on cognitive factors in relation to social anxiety disorder, yet information about a wealth of heuristic behavioral, learning-based mechanisms is available, but underutilized. This chapter focuses on basic behavioral principles that can be incorporated in the conceptualization of mechanisms that may be involved in the development of social anxiety disorder, how it is perpetuated, and how this syndrome can be treated therapeutically.