Beneficial effects of role reversal compared to role-playing on negative perceptions of others' judgments for social anxiety disorder

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbtep.2020.101599

Commentary

Holding negative beliefs about judging others plays an important role in the development and maintenance of social anxiety disorder. Therefore, this experiment examined the effects of role-playing and subsequent role-reversal compared to two role-playing sessions on changes in these negative cognitions.

Thirty-six adult social anxiety patients were randomized to two conditions.

In the role-playing condition, 18 participants role-played two anxiety-provoking social situations.

A role-reversal condition in which 18 participants role-played an anxiety-provoking social situation twice, followed by a role-reversal condition in which 18 participants enacted the same situation using role reversal.

Before beginning the experiment, patients were asked to report negative perceptions of their partner's judgments.

The results of this experiment confirmed that role-playing followed by role-reversal had the strongest effect on negative perceptions than did role-playing twice.

However, this result was also limited by the fact that there was no control group to evaluate the effect of role-playing alone.

These conclusions support the hypothesis that role reversal is an effective method of modifying negative perceptions of others' judgments in SAD.