The Use of Experiential Acceptance in Psychotherapy with Emerging Adults
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Pepperdine University Pepperdine Digital Commons Theses and Dissertations 2015 The use of experiential acceptance in psychotherapy with emerging adults Lauren Ford Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/etd Recommended Citation Ford, Lauren, "The use of experiential acceptance in psychotherapy with emerging adults" (2015). Theses and Dissertations. 650. https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/etd/650 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by Pepperdine Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Pepperdine Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]. Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychology THE USE OF EXPERIENTIAL ACCEPTANCE IN PSYCHOTHERAPY WITH EMERGING ADULTS A clinical dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology by Lauren Ford, MMFT October, 2015 Susan Hall, J.D., Ph.D. – Dissertation Chairperson This clinical dissertation, written by: Lauren Ford, MMFT under the guidance of a Faculty Committee and approved by its members, has been submitted to and accepted by the Graduate Faculty in partial fulfillment on the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PSYCHOLOGY Doctoral Committee: Susan Hall, J.D., Ph.D., Chairperson Judy Ho, Ph.D. Joan Rosenberg, Ph.D. © Copyright by Lauren Ford (2015) All Rights Reserved TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................................ vii VITA ............................................................................................................................................ viii ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................ xvii Chapter I: Introduction .................................................................................................................... 1 Emerging Adulthood ........................................................................................................... 1 Five Features of Emerging Adulthood. ................................................................... 3 Other Theoretical Perspectives on Identity Development. ..................................... 8 Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory ................................................................... 9 Identity vs. Role Confusion .......................................................... 10 Intimacy vs. Isolation .................................................................... 11 The Central Process in Resolving Psychosocial Crises ................ 11 Marcia’s Identity Status Model ................................................................. 11 Gender and Cultural Considerations in Identity Development ..... 14 Luyckx’s Expansion of the Identity Status Model .................................... 15 Myer’s Optimal Theory of Adult Development ....................................... 17 Narrative Approaches to Identity Development ....................................... 18 Cognitive and Brain Development in the Transition to Adulthood. ..................... 19 Mental Health Concerns in Emerging Adulthood. ............................................... 21 Theoretical Foundations of Acceptance............................................................................ 22 Early Uses of Acceptance. .................................................................................... 23 Humanistic theory ..................................................................................... 23 Existential Theory ..................................................................................... 24 Gestalt Theory ........................................................................................... 26 Grief and Grieving .................................................................................... 27 Contemporary Applications of Acceptance in Psychotherapy. ............................ 29 The First Wave: Behaviorism ................................................................... 29 The Second Wave: Cognitive-Behavior Therapy ..................................... 30 Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy ............................................ 31 Cognitive Therapy ........................................................................ 33 The Third Wave: Acceptance-Based Therapies. .................................................. 35 Defining Acceptance in Psychology ......................................................... 36 ACT and DBT ........................................................................................... 37 Other Third Generation CBT Models ....................................................... 43 Acceptance and Mindfulness .................................................................... 43 Defining Acceptance in the Current Study ............................................... 46 The Assessment of Acceptance. ........................................................................... 47 Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (AAQ) ......................................... 48 Distress Tolerance Scale ........................................................................... 49 Subscales in Multidimensional Measures ................................................. 49 Qualitative Analysis of Acceptance as a Facet of Mindfulness ................ 50 Purpose of the Current Study ............................................................................................ 52 Chapter II: Method ........................................................................................................................ 54 Research Design................................................................................................................ 54 Participants ............................................................................................................ 55 Therapist-Client Participant Pairs ............................................................. 55 Client-Participant 1 ....................................................................... 57 Client-Participant 2 ....................................................................... 58 Client-Participant 3 ....................................................................... 59 Client-Participant 4 ....................................................................... 60 Client-Participant 5 ....................................................................... 61 Researcher-Participants......................................................................................... 62 Procedure. ............................................................................................................. 64 Transcription ............................................................................................. 68 Coding ....................................................................................................... 68 Human Subjects/Ethical Considerations ................................................... 68 Data Analysis Approach ................................................................................................... 70 Chapter III: Results ....................................................................................................................... 72 Parent Theme Across Participants .................................................................................... 73 Bringing Awareness to the Current Moment. ....................................................... 73 Shifting from Content to Experience. ................................................................... 75 Emergent Themes Within Participants ............................................................................. 78 Client-Therapist Pair 1, Initial Coded Session. ..................................................... 78 Client-Therapist Pair 1, Later Coded Session. ...................................................... 79 Client-Therapist Pair 1, Session Comparison and Missed Opportunities. ............ 81 Client-Therapist Pair 2, Initial Coded Session. ..................................................... 83 Client-Therapist Pair 2, Later Coded Session. ...................................................... 84 Client-Therapist Pair 2, Session Comparison and Missed Opportunities. ............ 85 Client-Therapist Pair 3, Initial Coded Session. ..................................................... 88 Client-Therapist Pair 3, Later Coded Session. ...................................................... 91 Client-Therapist Pair 3, Session Comparison and Missed Opportunities. ............ 92 Client-Therapist Pair 4, Initial Coded Session. ..................................................... 96 Client-Therapist 4, Later Coded Session. ............................................................. 98 Client-Therapist Pair 4, Session Comparison and Missed Opportunities. .......... 102 Chapter IV: Discussion ............................................................................................................... 105 General Findings ............................................................................................................. 107 Parent Theme: Increasing Awareness. ................................................................ 107 Sub-Theme: Bringing Awareness