Year: 2005
Type: dissertation
Abstract: I have been interested in practicing meditation and learning about its effects in relation to enhancing one's ability at mental control for several years.My understanding of this technique is that one aspect of the effects of practicing meditation is to help one reduce unwanted intrusive thoughts.This has been suggested throughout the history of this tradition.It was with great interest, therefore, that I came across literature stating that attempting to suppress unwanted thoughts may actually lead to more rather than less preoccupation with these thoughts.This immediately caught my attention and several questions soon appeared.I asked myself: "Are meditation techniques such as countingbreaths types of thought suppression technique?""What is the difference between meditation and the suppression technique described in the thought-suppression research?"While I believe that thought suppression is possible, why does some of the research demonstrate that thought suppression may backfire?What causes that?" "Is it because people employ different techniques to reduce unwanted thoughts, which thus leads to differential effects of thought control?"This series of questions triggered my interest and passion for further understanding the effects of thought suppression techniques, which eventually became the topic of this dissertation.While this dissertation study does not address all the questions raised above, it can hopefully lead to a series of studies that do so.
Author: Yi-Jen Lin
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1851753637