This paper presents a refinement of the self-presentational model of social anxiety that includes concepts borrowed from self-efficacy theory. Specifically, the distinction between self-efficacy and outcome expectancies is incorporated into the self-presen tational approach, and literature is reviewed that demonstrates that people experi ence social anxiety when their self-presentational efficacy or outcome expectancies are low. In addition, the self-efficacy and self-presentation approaches are integrated to explain why people tend to become inhibited when they feel socially anxious, and implications of the two theories for the treatment of chronically socially anxious individuals are discussed.

People diflFer m the degree to which they become lnhihited and avoidant when they feel socially anxious This study explored the hypothesis that characterological attributions for one's feelmgs of nervousness in social settings are related to social jnhihition and avoidance In a preliminary study, the dunensions pe^le use to explain their feelmgs of nervousness and relaxation were determined One hundred and tw6nty-five subjects then completed measures of social anxiousness, inhihition, and avoidance, and niade attnbutions for feeling nervous and relaxed in 10 interpersonal scenarios lAs predicted, attnbutions of nervousness to characterological factors, such as abihty^^and personality traits, correlated positively with social inhibition and avoidancej Unexpectedly, behavioral attnbutions for nervousness also predicted inhibition and avoidance When people feel nervous m social encounters, they tend to become inhibited, hesitant, and avoidant They are likely to initiate fewer interactions with others, speak less frequently and for shorter penods of time, disclose less about themselves, and occasionally withdraw from or avoid altogether the anxiety-producing situation (see Daly & McCroskey, 1984, Leary, 1982, 1983a, Schlenker & Leary, in press, Zimbardo, 1977 for reviews) Although the tendency for people to disa£Bliate when socially anxious is well documented, the reasons for this reaction are not well understood Further, it is not clear why some individuals (whom Zimbardo, 1977, calls "shy extraverts") continue to interact fiilly in spite of their subjective anxiety, whereas others become timid when socially anxiousCommon sense notions to the contrary, it is clear that socially inhibited and avoidant behavior is not caused by anxiety per se As Schachter's (1959) classic research on fear and affiliation clearly showed, people who become anxious because ofnonsoctal factors (such as fear of electnc Correspondence and requests for repnnts should he addressed to Mark R Leary,