Abstract
A significant portion of college enrollees drop out of college before their degree is awarded, and college persistence is lower in students from challenging backgrounds. The college environment can bring increased academic workload, financial stress, and social stress for first-time enrollees. Several factors may contribute to difficulties in emotion regulation during this time, making it more difficult for college students to respond adaptively to novel stressors. Cognitive fusion is a concept proposed by acceptance and commitment therapy to describe a state in which one believes the literal content of their thoughts, even when those thoughts may be irrational or emotionally charged. Cognitive fusion may increase the influence of thoughts on emotions, resulting in more extreme emotional states that are more difficult to regulate. Rigid thought patterns related to self and other-blame may also be harmful for college students, as a mismatch between attribution and the actual fault for a situation may result in maladaptive responses to stressors. The proposed study will investigate the relationships between cognitive fusion, blame strategies, and college adjustment outcomes. It is predicted that high cognitive fusion will magnify the negative correlation between usage of blame strategies and college adjustment.
Faculty Advisor
Dr. Stephanie Weigel
Department/Program
Psychology
Submission Type
in-person poster
Date
4-10-2024
Rights
Copyright the Author(s)
Recommended Citation
Tipton, Olivia and Weigel, Stephanie
(2024)
"Cognitive Fusion, Self- and Other-Blame, and College Adjustment Outcomes,"
SACAD: John Heinrichs Scholarly and Creative Activity Days: Vol. 2024, Article 23.
Available at:
https://scholars.fhsu.edu/sacad/vol2024/iss2024/23