Abstract

There have been many studies focusing on suppression of intrusive thoughts, but the results were not consistent. Five variables presumably cause these various results: the types of intrusive thought, individual differences, control strategies, experimental procedures and dependent measures. The purpose of this study was to investigate the ironic effects of suppression on intrusive thoughts considering these variables. Worriers didn't show the ironic effects in the self-report after suppressing intrusive thought, but they reported more intrusive thought than non-worriers when they were required to concentrate on intrusive thought. In the physiological measures, skin conductance level increased and finger pulse amplitude decreased after worriers suppressed their intrusive thought. These results indicated the activation of sympathetic nervous system. After concentrating on the intrusive thought, the skin conductance level of worriers decreased. This result support the suggestions of Borkovec(1994) that worriers mask negative emotional experiences related with worry through worrying.