Self & Negative Affect

Question 1

Self-focused attention (SFA)

Answer 1

Self-reflection/self-rumination.

Question 2

Negative affect (NA)

Answer 2

Anxiety and depression.

Question 3

Is there a relationship between self-focused attention (SFA) and negative affect (NA)?

Answer 3

Overall moderate relationship between SFA and NA. There is a “stronger” relationship between SFA and NA in females.

Question 4

______ self-focus is more strongly related to depression; ______ self-focus is more strongly related to social anxiety.

Answer 4

Private; public

Question 5

Why does private self-focus relate more strongly to depression and public self-focus relate more strongly to social anxiety?

Answer 5

This is because in private self-focus you are thinking about your thoughts, emotions, goals, etc., and are more likely to look at the real self and compare it to the ideal self - linked to identification of self-discrepancies - this depresses people. Whereas public self-focus includes others’ opinions of yourself - what do they think of me? Do I look alright?, etc. This will lead to anxiety over how others are evaluating you.

Question 6

What are three ways to reduce rumination?

Answer 6

1. Distraction
2. Mindfulness
3. Self-distancing