Table 1.

Shared and unshared characteristics of performance anxiety in sex, sport, and stage.^*

Characteristics	Sex	Sport	Stage
Motor response set
Somatic/fine motor coordination		x	x
Presumed sympathetic interference	x		x
Strong somatic symptomology (GI distress, excessive sweat, etc.)			x
Fatigue	?	x	x
Proficiency aspects
Lack of automatic processing style	x	x	x
Lack of practice and preparation		x	x
Performer identification with “professional” role		x	?
Cognitive
Internal focus/monitoring	x	x	x
Over-expectation/perfectionism	x	x	x
Distorted thinking and self-narrative	x	x	x
Negative effect of distraction	x	x	x
Performance importance/consequence	x	x	x
Self-blame attribution style	x	?	?
Affective
High anxiety	x	x	x
General negative affect	x	x	x
Evaluation apprehension	x	x	x
Self-perpetuating and augmenting anxiety	x	x	x
Personality factors
Trait anxiety	x	?	x
Introversion/social phobia/shyness/high self-consciousness	x	x	x
Low self-confidence/self-efficacy	x	x	x
Other parameters
Females more vulnerable	?		x
Solo performance more anxiety provoking than group/partnered		x	?

^*Question marks indicate that a substantial body of knowledge was not found to support a role for this particular factor but it does not necessarily mean that no role exists for it.