What Is Metacognitive Therapy & How Can It Help People With Social Anxiety Disorder?

Metacognitive therapy argues that people develop anxiety and depression not because of what people think, but because of how they think. Metacognitions refer to our ideas about thinking. Certain metacognitions lead to maladaptive thinking styles, which can be seen as the actual causes of psychological problems such as social anxiety. The metacognitions of socially anxious people typically include beliefs like: “I can prepare myself for the worst-case outcomes by playing them through in my mind repeatedly.” – Anticipatory anxiety “Analyzing in detail my performance in past social situations and dwelling on embarrassing situations will improve my future performance.” – Rumination “Being alert to my physical arousal and external threats in social situations will help me control them.” - Heightened self-awareness and threat-focus “It is possible and beneficial to avoid certain thoughts.” – Thought-suppression The maladaptive thinking styles mentioned above refer to a way of thinking that Wells and Mathews (1996) have termed the Cognitive Attentional Syndrome (CAS). The CAS is the reason why some individuals get trapped into certain emotions such as anxiety, while others can move on relatively quickly when facing them. Therefore, their metacognitions are what motivates certain people to engage in these thinking styles.