The Impact of Self-Concealment, Psychological Inflexibility and Mindfulness in developing Psychological Distress among Adolescents

 The Impact of Self-Concealment, Psychological Inflexibility and Mindfulness in developing Psychological Distress among Adolescents

¹ Wajiha Malik ² Dr. Muhammad Naeem

¹ MS, Clinical Psychology, BNU

² Laureate Folks International

ERC, PAKISTAN

https://laureatefolks.blogspot.com

laureatefolks@gmail.com, WhatsApp: +923334446261

1.      INTRODUCTION

Virtually everybody has secrets (Vangelisti, 1994). Psychologists have gotten the possibility that hiding data about oneself can be materially and mentally harmful. Some see personality disguise as a hereditary inclination then speculate that people who are pre-arranged to trademark examples remain increasingly presented to manifestations of psychopathology (Kelly and Yip, 2006). The self-covering mirror is a central maladaptive control process in clinical practices. Self-covering is deciphered as a universal and stable direct inclination to possess alarming and possibly trying individual information from others. A whole human personality is based on our own feelings, thoughts, behaviors, actions, and thinking patterns.

1.1  SELF-CONCEALMENT

In social circumstances, persons with complex social anxiety are additional prospective to receive unfit suppression tactics related to those with minor social anxiety (Spokas, Luterek, and Heimberg, 2009). This might be as social anxiety deliberates a propensity to cover one’s innermost self due-to views of worthlessness or fear of refusal (Rodebaugh, 2009), and these maladaptive predispositions to self-concealment consequence in degenerated relationship value over the period.

1.2 THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

Carl Jung proposed his theory on personality in which he emphasized the importance of the personal unconscious. A complex is a gathering of judgments, emotional states, attitudes, and recollections that are formulated and matured over a period of time-based on personal experience.

In 1947, Jung introduced the term “persona” which explains the concept that people wear a mask on themselves and hide their real faces from the outer world because they have a fear if they open up themselves in front of other people, they encounter shame. Persona hides our real oneself and Jung labels it as the “conformity” archetype. The same is the case in self-concealment in which people conceal their real identity from the outer world and didn’t share their negative aspects with others because of the fear of shame. Jung used this term as “fear of the dark”.

Sigmund Freud proposed its theory in which he used the term “unconscious” in which he talks about repressed memories that a person holds in its inner self because these memories reflect negative aspects and undesirable thoughts and feelings about ourselves.  Like Freud’s concept of unconsciously repressed memories, in “self-concealment” people repressed the negative and unwanted thoughts that create trouble for themselves and put that repressed thoughts back inside the “unconscious”.

Larson et al., (2015), research elicited a great frame of the sign has revealed that self-concealment, once measured by the Self-Concealment Scale (SCS), is positively connected to countless kinds of psychological and bodily distress, together with unhappiness (Larson and Chastain 1990), nervousness (Kahn and Hessling 2001), disordered eating (Masuda et al. 2011), and pain and tiredness (Finkenauer et al. (2002); Larson and Chastain (1990); Wismeijer et al. 2009).

A study by Mendoza et al. (2015), a cross-sectional investigation by a Latina/o college sample parades that self-concealment is positively connected by supposed stigmatization for looking for expert mental help (Mendoza et al. 2015), a variable initiate to rely on the larger mental distress between the grown person (Cheng et al., 2013).

1.3 PSYCHOLOGICAL INFLEXIBILITY

Psychological inflexibility makes ordinary working and adaptation problematic. Psychological problems and social activities play a noteworthy and overwhelming role in a person’s life (Javed, 2013). Psychological inflexibility is quite innovative and different variable invented from the clinical psychological discipline (Bond et al., 2011). Psychological inflexibility is an additional possible instrument of central neuroticism and unhappiness.

            It is connected to cognitive stiffness and is supposed to arise once people develop stick with disagreeable views and avoid the involvement of undesirable innermost actions or feelings Wenzlaff and Wegner, (2000). Psychological inflexibility is connected through the larger sadness between equal grownups (Bond et al., 2011) and youths (Fergus et al., 2012) and has remained known as a procedure basic for growth of unhappiness (Hayes et al., 1999). Psychological suffering is likewise a piece of human instinct because of how the intellectual procedures of the human cerebrum and mind work because of torment (Fletcher, Schoendorff, and Hayes, 2010).

            Schwartz introduces his theory on values in which the term “conservatism” is used which means people are so conservative and so rigid to adapt to a change in a society so they are highly inflexible. The same is the case with psychological inflexibility in which people believe that they are so rigid and they did not move towards adaptation. Psychological inflexibility alludes to "the inflexible strength of mental response over selected qualities and opportunities in managing activities."

1.4  MINDFULNESS

Mindfulness has developed a unique theme that is largely conferred as clinical participation designed for numerous psychiatric complications (Sailesh Maharjan, 2017). In the last 20 years, mindfulness has developed the focus of extensive attention for a big community of clinicians. Some studies report the influence of mindfulness on psychological conclusions (Baer, 2011), fewer are identified approximately than the channel which makes mindfulness real in tumbling psychological distress.

Mindfulness has been shown as a procedure of converging on a definite nature of minute-by-minute experience (Kabat-Zinn, 1990). The ability to arouse mindfulness outwardly is created utilizing changed reflection procedures that start from Buddhist deep performances (Hanh, 1976). Mindfulness in Buddhist customs owns that the focal job in a context that stood shape away prompting the suspension of private sorrow (Thera, (1962); Silananda, (1990).

Mindfulness in present-day psychology has been established as a methodology for growing responsiveness and reacting skillfully to rational procedures that donate to open trouble and defective actions. Zinn (1990), introduced different practices related to mindfulness-based interventions. Mindfulness-based interventions are classically grounded on a cognitive-behavioral viewpoint (Mace 2007) and generally use mediation as a system to recover “acceptance of”’ and “focal attention on” the direct current moment in a non-judgemental way (Bishop et al., (2004); Rapgay and Bystrisky, 2009).

1.5  PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS

Psychological distress is to an excessive extent considered a condition of emotive suffering termed the manifestations of sorrow (lost intrigue; pity; grief) and uneasiness (eagerness; feeling harassed) (Mirowsky and Ross 2002). Such indicators may be knotted in with considerable appearances (for instance, sleep deprivation; brainy pains; the absence of vitality) that remain possibly successful over different societies (Kleinman (1991), Kirmayer (1989).

            People are social beings and are the formation of their relationships by others. Execution to the cognitive model, undesirably susceptible reasoning is an essential course in psychological distress (Barlow and Durand, 1999).

            They infer themselves as valueless, lacking, unattractive, and unsatisfactory. Psychological distress is known after exploratory the worried person’s diverse shapes of interpersonal relations. The frequency of psychological distress is complex in ladies than in males in utmost states. Caron and Liu (2011), Jorm et al. (2005), in all age clusters (Cairney and Krause (2005).

1.6  PROBLEM STATEMENT 

The study will investigate the impact of self-concealment, psychological inflexibility, and mindfulness in developing psychological distress among adolescents.

1.7  OBJECTIVES

The core objective of the current research are as follows:

1) To discover the connection between self-concealment, psychological distress, and mindfulness in developing psychological distress among adolescents.

2) To explore the difference among self-concealment, psychological inflexibility, mindfulness, and psychological distress based on demographical variables (i.e., age, gender, education, the family system, no of siblings, birth order, and religion) among adolescents.

1.8 SIGNIFICANCE

The present study explores rigidness, hiding their feelings and distress in adolescents. It is an area that requires extensive research in Pakistan. Hiding data about oneself can be materially and mentally harmful (Vangelistic, 1994). Contemporary researchers investigate that what we hide and expose around ourselves disturbs our comfort. The personal unconscious contains blocked memories. People hide their real faces from the outer world because they have a fear that if they open up themselves then they encounter shame. It has been observed that adolescents generally concealed themselves to get social approval which results in stress. And if the stress doesn’t deal with then it may lead toward suicidal behavior Majority of early suppression lead to disturbed and problematic self-image as a consequence of unresolved conflicts. Similarly, rigidness lead toward rejections of new exposure which in turn makes a sense that others don’t understand them and, as the result, they developed depression. Adolescence is categorized by the obvious physical, cognitive, and social fluctuations, and thus, scholars have a propensity to describe it as a period of “storm and stress” ( Jensen Arnett 1999).

2. LITERATURE REVIEW

            This sector outlines certain erudite literature which was published in self-concealment, psychological inflexibility, mindfulness, and psychological distress in adolescents that are the prime concept of this study.  This area will separately be discussed briefly and there will be a review of the relationship between variables.

In one research by Cole, Kemeny, Taylor, and Visscher, (1996). Sample (N=377) students were taken and investigators also have exposed that men who have a tendency to cover their sexual positioning from others, related to those who do not, are at more risk for evolving countless complaints like cancer.

Finkenauer, C. and B. Rimé (1998) present examination researched two expectations got from inhibition theory. It was conjectured that emotive mystery negatively affects (1) physical and (2) abstract prosperity. Predictable with the theory, emotional secrecy contrarily influenced physical wellbeing.

Ruiz, (2010); Sturmey, (2009), findings illustrate that the mentally stable techniques have been linked to more notable mental damages (e.g., Marcks and Woods, (2005); Hayes et al, (2006). The seriousness of stress altogether anticipated psychological distress. There were two huge associations. The impact of the seriousness of stressors on in general mental anxiety is restrictive on our proportion of mindfulness and commitment as an adapting procedure.

Greenberg and Stone (1992). "open revelation about injuries and its connection to wellbeing: impacts of past revelation and injury seriousness. This investigation looked to repeat past discoveries that releasing shocks recovers physical wellbeing and to think about the impacts of self-concealment recently unveiled versus undisclosed injuries.

According to Chawla and Ostafin (2007); Ruiz (2010), lead research on the sample of (N= 633) participants displays that the psychological inflexibility theorizes that it prompts expanded mental dysfunction and lessened personal satisfaction. Psychological inflexibility help as a hazard feature for many syndromes together with insomnia (Hayes et al. 2006) and unhappiness.

Another dealing study by Livheim and colleagues (2014) compared ACT executed with adolescents discussed in schools for psychosocial problems such as depression, fear, and worry too, for example, school guiding. 

Kelly and Achter (1995) have initiated empirically exploring how confidentiality and undisclosed can impact the therapy method or one’s overall spiritual wellbeing (e.g., Berano, and Capobianco, (2004).

Research by Galinsky and Moskowitz, (2000) and Wenzlaff and Wegner, (2000) conduct surveys on undergraduate students (N= 604), instructions used universal measures of psychological inflexibility which have a tendency to discuss opinions/feelings interrelated to psychological distress moderately than preconception. Psychological inflexibility has about intersection through variables that have been originating to relay to bias together with supposed suppression (Galinsky and Moskowitz, 2000) and deficient mindful alertness of one’s practices in the current (Gervais and Hoffman, 2013).

Wenzlaff and Wegner, (2000) research were conducted on the sample of (N=105) participants illustrated that psychological inflexibility is correlated with cognitive severity and is supposed to arise when people become stuck with harmful views and stay out the experience of unsolicited inside events or sentiments.

            Research by Luciano, Valdivia-Salas, and Ruiz, (2012) elicited research on the sample entailed of (N=210) undergraduates, that depression is blending with damaging thoughts and the state of mind. Once the one does not have the services that detachment to oneself from cloistered practices, she becomes knotted in their content, down interaction with the existing minute and captivating in some form of experiential avoidance.

            Moore and Malinowski's (2009) findings display a few examinations that have a tendency to the connection between quality mindfulness and spiritual health conclusions (Baer, Smith, and Allen (2004). Moore and Malinowski's (2009) findings display a few examinations that have a tendency to the connection among quality mindfulness and spiritual health conclusions (Baer, Smith, and Allen (2004).

The investigation by Oakley, Kanter, Taylor, and Duguid (2012), one-third of females in the study (37.5%), claimed that widely (80%) of the womenfolk with depressing signs informed feeling the painful releasing emotional state of sadness to a health care expert, through privacy supposed as being extra valuable than treatment.

3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1 Research Design

The plan used for this research will be cross-sectional survey research. A cross-sectional search contains taking a gander at persons who differ from one key characteristic at one clear point in time.

3.2 Sample and Sampling technique

The sample consists of 150 private sectors, and 150 public sector institutes included both boys and girls with an age range of 14-20 years (M = 29.95, SD = 7.90). Based on gender. The sample will be collected using the stratified random sampling technique.

3.3 Measures

Demographic information sheet comprises of personal information which consists of the name, age, gender, education, the number of siblings, the family system, birth order, religion, any psychological or physical disease, and parents are alive or dead, which is required for research purpose.

Self-concealment scale (SCS), Larson, D. G. also, R. L. Chastain (1990) Is used which comprise of 10 items of Self-Concealing is applied. The procedure of self-concealment, seen here as an unexpected instance of limit guide in support of protection (Derlega and Chaikin), can likewise be seen inside a model of self-introduction or picture, the executives in which social communications existing chances to uncover upsetting or adverse specific information (Schlenker, 1980). The scale uses a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). The inner consistency evaluation of Cronbach,s alpha showed a= .83 (N: 300). 

The Psychological flexibility Questionnaire (PFQ), Dr. Maya Maor, Ben-Itzhak (2014), Kashdan and Rottenberg (2010) illustrate psychological flexibility as the capacity to "perceive and adjust to different situational requests; move attitudes or conduct collections when these methodologies reduced individual or social working; keep up equalization among vital life spaces; and know, open, and focused on practices that are consistent with profoundly held qualities". Lack of flexibility, then again, is related to the gloom, nervousness, rumination, stress, and failure to get ready for unreachable objectives (Kashdan and Rottenberg, 2010; Nolen-Hoeksema, Wisco, and Lyubomirsky, 2008). The scale utilizes a point Likert scale running from 1 to 6. So as to test PFQ's construct validity, 20 item’s questionnaire survey the initial reliability list brought about Cronbach,s alpha= 0.918.

Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) Brown, K.W. and Ryan, R.M. (2003). The attribute MAAS is a 15-item scale planned to evaluate a center usual for mindfulness, To be specific, An exposed perspective in which consideration, educated by a touchy consciousness of what is happening in the present, basically sees what is occurring. The scale tends to subjective, passionate, physical, relational, and general areas in an aberrant way. MAAS utilizes a 6-point Likert-type scale extending from 1 (quite often) to 6 (never). Mindfulness has been portrayed as a procedure of pointing out a specific nature of minute-by-minute experience (Kabat-Zinn, 1990). The MAAS has a great Cronbach's alpha, extending from .82 to .87. The coefficients of internal consistency of the MAAS were over .90.

Kessler’s psychological distress (K10) was planned by Ronald. J. Kesseler (2003), to evaluate the dimension of psychological distress. The K10 scale encompasses 10 items regarding emotional expresses to each by a five-level response scale. The portion can be exploited as a concise shade to discriminate the dimensions of distress. The measure can be worked as a brief shade to discriminate the dimensions of distress. The Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10) is a ratio of psychological distress, the example of the item from this scale includes, “Did you feel tired out for no good reason” and “Did you feel hopeless”. Response levels are all of the time, most of the time, a little of the time, and none of the time. Scores of 10 items are then figured out yielding a base score of 10 and a maximum extreme score of 50. Little scores display short dimensions of psychological distress and more scores reveal large sums of psychological distress. The inner consistency (Cronbach's alpha) revealed was useful for this scale of 0.919 (Cornelius, Groothof, Klink and Brouwer, 2013). The reliability coefficient of present examples α=8.09.

Procedure

The procedure will be divided into three phases. In the first phase of research design and tools selection, a sample of 300 participants will be chosen for this study from different public and private educational institutes. Every fifth institute will be chosen through a random sampling technique and sample size will be selected through purposive sampling. SCS, PFQ, MAAS, and K10 will be used for research purposes. The second phase (pilot study) will be used. The sample of 90 adolescents will be collected to observe whether either the formulated book of research will be easily understandable to the targeted population or not. Firstly, approval from the concerned authority to gather data will be taken. Beforehand administered the participants were briefed regarding the aim of the research. The researcher filled the 90 forms for checking the reliability of the scales. During the pilot study, it was seen that subjects took twenty-five minutes to complete the full set of research instruments. In the third phase (data collection and results reporting), permission for data collection was obtained from different institutes. Booklet will be formulated consisting of the consent form, demographic form, and assessment tools use in this study. The participants of the research were complete the questionnaire without having any complications.

4. DISCUSSION

This study focused mainly on determining whether self-concealment, psychological inflexibility, and mindfulness attention have an impact on developing psychological distress between adolescents. This section will thus deliberate the answers of the current study in the light of currently available literature. The results of inter-correlation in table 4.2 shows that self-concealment significantly correlates with psychological inflexibility (.15, p =.05) and psychological distress (.15, p =.05). Meanwhile, self-concealment is a significant negative correlate of mindfulness (-.21, p = 0.5). The results and consulted all the relevant current researches on all variables it is concluded that self-concealment, psychological inflexibility, and mindfulness play an important role in developing psychological distress among adolescents.

4.1 CONCLUSION

            Self-concealment, psychological inflexibility, and mindfulness have an impact on developing psychological distress between adolescents. It is concluded that self-concealment and mindfulness are significantly correlated with psychological distress, and psychological inflexibility is a non-significant correlation to psychological distress. Whereas, mindfulness is a significant predictor of psychological distress.

4.2 SUGGESTIONS AND FUTURE RECOMMENDATIONS

The researcher took a sample of 14-20 years of individuals, although this age range covers adolescents if it would have covered till late adulthood years, then results would be considered more authentic from the generalization point of view.

            The present findings clearly indicate that adolescents were having vulnerability towards adaptiveness which leads them toward different psychiatric problems like anxiety and depression so the research would have more value if it could focus on some kind of psychological intervention to reduce anxiety and depression as well o increase their level of mindfulness.

It is suggested that seminars and workshops can be conducted to teach different techniques for increasing mindfulness and communication skills. The study should be planned with adults (earlier, middle and late) to explore the impact of self-concealment, psychological inflexibility, and mindfulness on psychological distress.

 

5. REFERENCES

Kelly, A. E., & McKillop, K. J. (1996). Consequences of revealing personal   

secrets. Psychological Bulletin, 120(3), 450.

Kelly, A. E., & Yip, J. J. (2006). Is keeping a secret or being a secretive person linked to   psychological symptoms? Journal of Personality, 74(5), 1349-1370.

Larson, D. G., & Chastain, R. L. (1990). Self-concealment: Conceptualization, measurement,        and health implications. Journal of Social and Clinical psychology, 9(4), 439-455.

Mendoza, H., Goodnight, B. L., Caporino, N. E., & Masuda, A. (2018). Psychological distress     among Latina/o college students: The roles of self-concealment and psychological inflexibility. Current Psychology, 37(1), 172-179.

Larson, D. G., Chastain, R. L., Hoyt, W. T., & Ayzenberg, R. (2015). Self-concealment:   Integrative review and working model. Journal of Social and Clinical psychology, 34(8), 705-e774.

Kahn, J. H., & Hessling, R. M. (2001). Measuring the tendency to conceal versus disclose psychological distress. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 20(1), 41-65.

Masuda, A., Tully, E. C., Drake, C. E., Tarantino, N., Ames, A. M., & Larson, D. G. (2017). Examining self-concealment within the framework of psychological inflexibility and \         mindfulness: A preliminary cross-sectional investigation. Current Psychology, 36(1), 184-191.

Vallerand, R. J. (2000). Deci and Ryan's self-determination theory: A view from the hierarchical  model of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Psychological inquiry, 11(4), 312-318.

Cheng, H. L., McDermott, R. C., & Lopez, F. G. (2015). Mental health, self-stigma, and help       seeking intentions among emerging adults: An attachment perspective. The Counseling Psychologist, 43(3), 463-487.

Masuda, A., Boone, M. S., & Timko, C. A. (2011). The role of psychological flexibility in the       relationship between self-concealment and disordered eating symptoms. Eating behaviors, 12(2), 131-135.

Leleux-Labarge, K., Hatton, A. T., Goodnight, B. L., & Masuda, A. (2015). Psychological           distress in sexual minorities: Examining the roles of self-concealment and psychological inflexibility. Journal of Gay & Lesbian Mental Health, 19(1), 40-54.

Ellenberger, H. F. (1970). The discovery of the unconscious: The history and evolution of   dynamic psychiatry (Vol. 1, pp. 280-281). New York: Basic Books.

Bond, F. W., Hayes, S. C., Baer, R. A., Carpenter, K. M., Guenole, N., Orcutt, H. K., ... & Zettle,           R. D. (2011). Preliminary psychometric properties of the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire–II: A revised measure of psychological inflexibility and experiential    avoidance. Behavior therapy, 42(4), 676-688.

Wenzlaff, R. M., & Wegner, D. M. (2000). Thought suppression. Annual review of            psychology, 51(1), 59-91.