Keywords

thought-action fusion, intrusive thoughts, psychoeducation

Abstract

Thought-action fusion (TAF) is the phenomenon whereby one has difficulty separating cognitions, particularly those that are intrusive and disturbing, from their corresponding behaviors. Recent work has suggested that TAF is malleable and amenable to change. The current study examined the effects of three different psychoeducational interventions on thought-action fusion, anxiety, thought suppression, magical thinking, and responsibility cognitions. Assessments were conducted both immediately following the interventions and after a two-week period. Results indicated that individuals who received a cognitive-based intervention that targeted irrational thoughts had significantly lower TAF scores than individuals who received an intervention that discussed thoughts from a non-evaluative framework and individuals in the control group, both immediately following the intervention and at the two-week follow-up. As hypothesized, all groups experienced a significant decrease in anxiety between the post-intervention and follow-up assessments; however, there was a trend towards significance for those who were exposed to the cognitive-based intervention to experience a greater decrease in anxiety than those in the control group. The cognitive-based intervention group was the only group that did not experience a significant increase in thought-suppression from baseline to post-intervention, and was also the only group to experience an increase in both frequency of and belief in low-responsibility thoughts from baseline to follow-up. No significant group differences were found for the construct of magical thinking. Implications are discussed.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2009

Advisor

Negy, Charles

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

College

College of Sciences

Department

Psychology

Degree Program

Psychology

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0002691

URL

http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/CFE0002691

Language

English

Release Date

September 2009

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Doctoral Dissertation (Open Access)

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Psychology Commons

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