Negative Evaluation is the Feared Consequence of Making Others Uncomfortable: A Response to Rector, Kocovski, and Ryder

Rector, Kocovski, and Ryder (2006, this issue) suggest that fear of causing discomfort to others is a unique form of social anxiety and that focusing on this concern may be clinically helpful. We argue that the fear of causing discomfort to others is dependent upon fear of negative evaluation, and provide evidence from the domains of evolutionary psychology, personality psychology, self-regulation theory, and our own clinical experience that support this argument. Given that fear of causing discomfort to others is dependent upon fear of negative evaluation, it is well addressed by current empirically supported cognitive behavioral interventions. Thus, although fear of causing discomfort to others may ultimately prove to be a useful construct, further evidence is required to demonstrate that it provides unique insights regarding social anxiety or social anxiety disorder.