Public self-consciousness is the tendency to direct attention toward oneself as a social object, observing oneself from the perspective of an external observer. People with high public self-consciousness are more vulnerable to social anxiety because they overestimate the scrutiny others make of them. Phenomenologically, "everyone is looking at me" even though it is not true.
Concept origin
Fenigstein A, Scheier MF, Buss AH. (1975). Public and private self-consciousness: Assessment and theory. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 43(4), 522-527. doi:10.1037/h0076760
How it manifests
- ▸ Attention directed toward oneself in social situations
- ▸ Overestimation of others' scrutiny ("everyone is looking at me")
- ▸ Difficulty being present (rumination during the interaction)
Therapeutic approach
CBT works with mindfulness to reduce public self-consciousness. Exposure with external attentional focus (on the task or the other) helps shift attention from the self to the environment. Schema therapy addresses the core belief of "being observed/judged."
Related concepts
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