Decentering, Acceptance, and Non-Attachment: Challenging the Question "Is It Me?"

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Mindfulness Research

Background:

• Acceptance, decentering, and non-attachment are key mindfulness constructs.
• These facets are central to third-wave clinical models.
• Despite semantic differences, their psychometric relationship requires exploration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the content domains of acceptance, decentering, and non-attachment.
• To identify underlying psychometric structures.
• To explore the relationship of these constructs with resilience and depression.

Main Methods:

• Administered psychometric scales to 608 volunteers.
• Utilized exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses on subsamples.
• Assessed resilience and depression alongside mindfulness facets.

Main Results:

• Factor analyses supported a bifactor approximation.
• A strong general factor, named
• Delusion of Me
• (DoM), was identified.
• DoM demonstrated good psychometric properties and correlated with resilience and depression.

Conclusions:

• DoM appears to be a unidimensional construct closely related to the ego.
• It shows potential as a transdiagnostic factor influencing well-being.
• Further research into the therapeutic utility of DoM is warranted.