Showing papers by "Mark R. Leary published in 1991"

Predictors, elicitors, and concomitants of social blushing

Abstract: Les auteurs proposent ici un modele de rougissement appuye sur des resultats empiriques. On montre notamment que la frequence avec laquelle les sujets declarent rougir est correlee avec des mesures qui refletent l'inquietude des sujets sur la facon dont ils sont regardes par les autres

Disclosure of sexual orientation by lesbians and gay men : a comparison of private and public processes

Abstract: Analyses of the “coming out” process posit two distinct mediators of the willingness to disclose one's homosexuality to others. Whereas some analyses focus on the individual's self-acceptance of his or her sexual orientation, others implicate gays' concerns with others' reactions to such disclosures. This study tested the efficacy of these models. One hundred and eighty-four lesbians and gay men completed a questionnaire that included, among other things, two measures of openness regarding their sexual orientation. On both indices, subjects' concerns with others' evaluations predicted substantially more of the variance in openness than the degree to which they accepted their own sexuality.

Perceived control, drive for thinness, and food consumption: anorexic tendencies as displaced reactance.

Abstract: Although loss of perceived control has been implicated in the development of eating disorders, previous research has not directly tested the relationship between perceived control and food consumption. This study investigated the hypothesis that individuals with anorexic tendencies react to low perceived control by restricting food intake as a means of regaining a sense of control. Forty female undergraduates who scored either low or high on the Drive for Thinness Scale (Garner & Olmsted, 1984) were led to believe they would be participating in two separate studies. Perceived control was experimentally manipulated such that half of the subjects experienced low control and half experienced high control over a social situation. Under the guise of a second experiment, subjects tasted breakfast cereals and completed measures relevant to eating and body image. Results showed that subjects who were high in drive for thinness (DT) who experienced low control ate less sweetened cereal and planned to eat less at dinner than high DT subjects who experienced high control. Low DT subjects were unaffected by the control manipulation. The results are discussed in terms of displaced reactance.

Social anxiety and cardiovascular responses to interpersonal communication

Abstract: This study reports data on the relationship of heart rate and blood pressure to state and trait social anxiety. Findings support the prediction that high trait anxiety subjects evidence a correlation between physiological measures and social anxiety. Measures of heart rate in both resting and talking periods correlate with state anxiety among high trait anxiety subjects. By contrast, systolic blood pressure during the talking period correlates with social anxiety for all subjects. These results confirm predictions about the psychosomatics of speech anxiety and demonstrate the importance of studying blood pressure.