University of California, San Diego State University, 92120, USA.
Behav Cogn Psychother. 2010 Jan;38(1):1-14. doi: 10.1017/S1352465809990439. Epub 2009 Oct 26.
The belief that we can control our thoughts is not inevitably adaptive, particularly when it fuels mental control activities that have ironic unintended consequences. The conviction that the mind can and should be controlled can prompt people to suppress unwanted thoughts, and so can set the stage for the intrusive return of those very thoughts. An important question is whether or not these beliefs about the control of thoughts can be reduced experimentally. One possibility is that behavioral experiments aimed at revealing the ironic return of suppressed thoughts might create a lesson that could reduce unrealistic beliefs about the control of thoughts.
The present research assessed the influence of the thought suppression demonstration on beliefs about the control of thoughts in a non-clinical sample, and among individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
In Study 1, we assessed the effect of the thought suppression demonstration on beliefs about the control of thoughts among low and high obsessive individuals in the non-clinical population (N = 62). In Study 2, we conducted a similar study with individuals with OCD (N = 29).
Results suggest that high obsessive individuals in the non-clinical population are able to learn the futility of suppression through the thought suppression demonstration and to alter their faulty beliefs about the control of thoughts; however, for individuals with OCD, the demonstration may be insufficient for altering underlying beliefs.
For individuals with OCD, the connection between suppressing a neutral thought in the suppression demonstration and suppressing a personally relevant obsession may need to be stated explicitly in order to affect their obsessive beliefs.
我们能够控制自己的想法这一信念并不一定是适应性的，尤其是当它助长了具有讽刺意味的、意料之外的后果的精神控制活动时。认为思维可以而且应该被控制的信念会促使人们抑制不想要的想法，从而为这些想法的侵入性回归创造条件。一个重要的问题是，这些关于思维控制的信念是否可以通过实验来减少。一种可能性是，旨在揭示被压抑的思想的讽刺性回归的行为实验可能会产生一个教训，从而减少人们对思维控制的不切实际的信念。
本研究评估了在非临床样本中，以及在强迫症（OCD）患者中，思维抑制演示对思维控制信念的影响。
在研究 1 中，我们评估了思维抑制演示对非临床人群中低和高强迫个体（N=62）思维控制信念的影响。在研究 2 中，我们对 OCD 患者（N=29）进行了类似的研究。
结果表明，非临床人群中的高强迫个体能够通过思维抑制演示学习到抑制的徒劳，并改变他们对思维控制的错误信念；然而，对于 OCD 患者来说，演示可能不足以改变其潜在的信念。
对于 OCD 患者来说，为了影响他们的强迫性信念，可能需要明确陈述抑制演示中中性思维和抑制个人相关强迫症之间的联系。
