Abstract:

The purpose of this dissertation was to study the effect of the practice of Mindfulness Meditation (MM) in alleviating the symptoms of chronic shyness and social anxiety across the physiological, cognitive, affective, and behavioral domains. Shyness is characterized by extreme and anxious attention to the self in social situations resulting in nervous and unbefitting behaviors, in addition to emotional and cognitive suffering. MM involves directing awareness towards the present while focusing attention on the breath, or on experiences as they arise. This research study used a 2x2 Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) mixed-group design with 22 participants (10 Treatment Group; 12 Control Group) assigned randomly to each condition. Participants in the Treatment Group participated in an online version of Jon Kabat-Zinn's 8-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program. Prior and consequent to the intervention, the participants of both groups completed assessments to measure shyness, social anxiety, mindfulness, anxiety, depression, and satisfaction with life. As predicted, the Treatment Group exhibited significant differences in all measures, with the exception of depression and satisfaction with life, which presented a trend. No such differences were observed in the control group. This supports predictions that increases in mindfulness lead to reductions in shyness, social anxiety, and anxiety in general. This study contributes to the development of the field of transpersonal psychology because it explores the alleviation of psychological suffering through the use of the spiritual practice of meditation and the altered states of consciousness associated with this practice. Mindfulness practice appears to be a promising alternative technique for individuals that are too shy to seek help or an adjunct to psychotherapy.