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Thought Suppression Induces Intrusions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 June 2009

Edith H. Lavy  and
Marcel A. van den Hout
Edith H. Lavy
Affiliation:
Department of Mental Health Sciences/Experimental Psychopathology, Limburg University, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands
Marcel A. van den Hout
Affiliation:
Department of Mental Health Sciences/Experimental Psychopathology, Limburg University, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands
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Extract

An experiment was conducted to investigate whether deliberate attempts to avoid a thought content have paradoxical effects. Twenty-four Ss received thought suppression instructions, 16 neutral instructions. Thought suppression resulted in an increased number of occurrences of the thought to be suppressed. The contribution of the results to the theory of obsessions is discussed.

Type
Research Article
Information
Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy , Volume 18 , Issue 4 , October 1990 , pp. 251 - 258
Copyright
Copyright © British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies 1990

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