High social anxiety subjects switched from assuming greater personal responsibility for success than for failure to assuming greater responsibility for failure than for success when told that their attributions would be scrutinized by others. Low social anxiety individuals did just the opposite. Additional studies of response among high and low social anxiety subjects suggest that low social anxious subjects take every opportunity to maintain or enhance their self-esteem. They present themselves in a favorable light and accept positive evaluations from others. High social anxiety individuals do neither of these. This suggests a cycle of low self-esteem among high social anxiety persons. (Author/BMW)