The Relationship Effect of Alcohol on Speech Anxiety Essay
Abstract
The expectance of alcohol before the stress of giving a speech to a person with public speaking anxiety has long been considered an option to decrease the level of anxiety. In order to determine the effect of just the cognitive impression of having received alcohol, this study randomly assigns subjects to two groups to either receive or not to receive alcohol. Furthermore each of these groups will be informed of different expectant alcohol levels in their breath before giving a public speech. The results showed a significant difference in the areas of anxiety, negative thoughts, perceived audience judgement, and avoidance reported in self-statements by the subjects. The hypothesis that the level of anxiety would be reduced in the subjects with just the perception of higher alcohol use was confirmed.
The Relationship Effect of Alcohol on Speech Anxiety
Social phobia is defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) as a “marked and persistent fear of one or more social or performance situations in which the person is exposed to unfamiliar people or to possible scrutiny by others” (American Psychiatric Association, 1994). (more…)
