Text

theses

Philosophical thought experiments have been used throughout history to analyze decision-making and personality characteristics across many academic domains. Social psychologists have incorporated thought experiments in empirical research to better understand people’s choices (Greene et al., 2001; Spranca et al., 1991, Uhlmann et al., 2009). However, thought experiments have not been formally studied in the context of their potential value as psychotherapeutic tools. This research discussed the advantages that thought experiments could have in psychotherapy, such as yielding a finite set of choices, and having diminished susceptibility to intentional impression management as compared to traditional assessment instruments. I examined participants’ responses to a novel thought experiment, the Reality-Machine, which is a derivation and amalgamation of the Experience Machine (Nozick, 1974) and its reversal (De Brigard, 2010). Participants (N= 187) responded to the two scenarios outlined in the Reality-Machine, and four groups (Reality, Machine, Stay, Leave) were formed based on their responses. I hypothesized group differences on four decision-making and personality measures that have been shown to be related to psychotherapeutic outcomes: authenticity, experiential avoidance, resistance to change, and impulsivity. After controlling for the Big Five Factors and gender, significant differences in group means were found on the authenticity scale, indicating that the participants who were in either the Reality or Stay groups scored higher than those in the Leave group. The Leave group scored the lowest on the three authenticity subscales, and the highest on the aggregate measure of dysfunction, suggesting that those in the Leave group may have greater therapeutic needs. Additional themes were discussed based on the aggregate measure of dysfunction, subscales, and confidence measures for the scenarios. The results underscored the potential value of the Reality-Machine as a psychotherapeutic tool, demonstrating that thought experiments should be considered for use in psychotherapy. Research on the Reality-Machine in the context of actual therapy is warranted, as the study involved a non-therapeutic context, thus serving only as a benchmark for understanding some of the group differences. Potential future research, limitations, and additional uses in psychotherapy were discussed.

ETD_8688

Psy.D.

Includes bibliographical references

by Evan Kalkus

doi:10.7282/T3V40ZKF

ETD doctoral