Conceptualized-self and depression symptoms among university students: Mediating role of cognitive fusion

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a unified behavioral change model which accounts “psychological inflexibility” as a base or exacerbation of psychological distress. However, the substantive theoretical rational of ACT requires empirical investigation. Therefore, present study empirically examined the two components of psychological inflexibility, conceptualized-self and cognitive fusion, in relation with depression. Two hundred university students (men = 100, women = 100), aged between 19 to 32 years, participated in the study by completing paper and pencil survey. Study results revealed conceptualized-self (inadequate-self, hated-self and reassuring-self) as significant predictor of depression. Moreover, study results demonstrated the cognitive fusion as a mediator between critical-self (inadequate-self and hated-self) and depression while as a suppressor between reassuring-self and depression. Study findings suggest that student’s conceptualized-self and cognitive fusion makes them psychologically inflexible which exacerbate the depression symptoms.