Date of Award
2012
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D. in Psychology
First Advisor
Kelly G. Wilson
Second Advisor
Marc Showalter
Third Advisor
John Young
Relational Format
dissertation/thesis
Abstract
There is a relatively large body of evidence supporting acceptance as a treatment component. According to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) proponents, acceptance is done in the service of values (Hayes et al., 2011). This study aimed to examine the effects of adding a values component to an acceptance intervention on persistence in a frustrating task. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: acceptance, acceptance plus values, and suppression. Following a mood induction, participants listened to a recording of their assigned coping strategy and were then asked to use this strategy during a frustrating computer task. No group differences were found on willingness to engage in the difficult task, which does not support the ACT proponents' assertion. There are a number of methodological limitations in this study related to the mood induction placement, interventions, persistence task, and sample that may have contributed to the null findings. Continued research in this area is needed to determine the impact of values as a treatment component, which has important clinical implications.
Recommended Citation
Flynn, Maureen Kathleen, "The Effects of Adding Values to an Acceptance Intervention on Willingness to Engage in a Difficult Task" (2012). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 107.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/etd/107
Concentration/Emphasis
Clinical Psychology