Finding the Key to the Invisible Prison

Turner, Kelly (2025) Finding the Key to the Invisible Prison. Masters thesis, University of Wales Trinity Saint David.

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Abstract

Fear of Negative Evaluation (FNE) has longed been associated with social anxiety. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) is currently acknowledged as the gold standard in treating social anxiety disorder. Although, CBT helps many individuals with social anxiety disorder it is not effective for everyone. It is unclear how CBT aids the change process in social anxiety symptomology or why it doesn’t work for some individuals. Social anxiety has been researched for decades with a dominance in cross sectional designs. Research has identified that one of the gaps in the social anxiety research is a lack of longitudinal research. The research study approaches the gap in the current research by using three years of personal data via a heuristic self-search inquiry to explore the change process in FNE and social anxiety symptomology. The heuristic design is a self-search inquiry, meaning the researcher is also the solo-participant and attends gestalt psychotherapy throughout. The research identifies themes obtained from journals and emerging themes from the heuristic process by utilising a thematic analysis. Therefore, the sub-themes are discussed alongside the core themes that include somatic awareness, self-protective behaviours, emotional aloneness, fear of abandonment, grief, and rediscovering self. The discussion draws together the research findings exploring the depths of pain around prolonged relational ruptures, culture, and intergenerational aspects. The findings recognise the importance of implicit memories accessed through the felt sense, mental imagery, dreams, and the heuristic process. The research contributes to the existing research providing insight to FNE and areas to consider in psychotherapeutic practice.

Item Type:	Thesis (Masters)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Social anxiety, social phobia, fear of social evaluation, fear of negative evaluation and rejection sensitivity
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology R Medicine > RC Internal medicine
Divisions:	Theses and Dissertations > Masters Dissertations
Depositing User:	Victoria Hankinson
Date Deposited:	29 Sep 2025 13:11
Last Modified:	29 Sep 2025 13:11
URI:	https://repository.uwtsd.ac.uk/id/eprint/3936

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