The relation of paranoid ideation and social anxiety in a mixed clinical population

Abstract

This study investigates the relationship between paranoid ideation and social anxiety in a heterogeneous clinical population of 36 men and 35 women. We further explore the relationship of these anxieties to beliefs about relative social power, social rank and submissive behavior. Women had higher scores on social interaction anxiety, submissive behavior, lower social power, and compared themselves more unfavorably to others than did men. Paranoid thinking and social anxieties were highly correlated in this population and both were related to social rank perceptions, power and submissive behavior. The results suggest that paranoid thinking and social anxiety can overlap significantly, and issues of social power/rank may underpin both forms of anxiety. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.