Decentering and Related Constructs

Abstract

The capacity to shift experiential perspective—from within one’s subjective experience onto that experience—is fundamental to being human. Scholars have long theorized that this metacognitive capacity—which we refer to as decentering—may play an important role in mental health. To help illuminate this mental phenomenon and its links to mental health, we critically examine decentering-related constructs and their respective literatures (e.g., self-distanced perspective, cognitive distancing, cognitive defusion). First, we introduce a novel metacognitive processes model of decentering. Specifically, we propose that, to varying degrees, decentering-related constructs reflect a common mental phenomenon subserved by three interrelated metacognitive processes: meta-awareness, disidentification from internal experience, and reduced reactivity to thought content. Second, we examine extant research linking decentering-related constructs and their underlying metacognitive processes to mental health. We conclude by proposing future directions for research that transcends decentering-related constructs in an effort to advance the field’s understanding of this facet of human experience and its role in (mal)adaptation.

Perseverate or decenter? Differential effects of metacognition on the relationship between parasympathetic inflexibility and symptoms of depression in a multi-wave study

“…Broadly, MDD is associated with a loss of biological and behavioral flexibility (Kashdan & Rottenberg, 2010; Stange, Alloy, & Fresco, in press). Specifically, MDD is characterized by inflexible physiological responses (Bylsma, Salomon, Taylor-Clift, Morris, & Rottenberg, 2014), difficulty disengaging from perseverative thinking processes such as rumination, and with mentally distancing oneself from one’s negative thinking (Nolen-Hoeksema, Wisco, & Lyubomirsky, 2008; Fresco et al, 2007a; Bernstein et al, 2015). Furthermore, healthy individuals who are inflexible in response to changes in environmental or emotional context also may be susceptible to developing depression (Stange et al, in press).…”

“…Decentering refers to a set of characteristics involving three related metacognitive processes (Bernstein et al, 2015): meta-awareness, an awareness of one’s subjective experience in consciousness, such as feeling and thinking (e.g., “I am having the thought that I am stupid” rather than “I am stupid”); disidentification from internal experience, the experience of internal states as being separate from one’s self (e.g., “I am having a feeling of sadness” rather than “I am sad”); and reduced effects of thought content on other mental processes, such as attention and emotion. Interestingly, decentering is inversely associated with PC (Fresco et al, 2007a; Kaiser, Andrews-Hanna, Metcalf, & Dimidjian, 2015), and experimental studies have demonstrated that low decentering mediates the relationship between rumination and negative thinking in depression (Lo et al, 2014).…”

“…Decentering is attenuated in individuals with MDD relative to healthy individuals (Fresco et al, 2007a) and predicts better outcomes in psychotherapy (Teasdale et al, 2001, 2002; Fresco et al, 2007b). As meta-awareness is an integral component of mindfulness and decentering (Bernstein et al, 2015), mindfulness-based treatments such as mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT; Segal, Williams, & Teasdale, 2012) present one avenue of improving the ability to engage in decentering. Furthermore, mindfulness treatments that target meta-awareness also may improve parasympathetic flexibility (Delgado-Pastor, Perakakis, Subramanya, Telles, & Vila, 2013; Krygier et al, 2013), suggesting that decentering and parasympathetic flexibility may work hand-in-hand to facilitate self-regulation and protect against depression.…”

“…This increased cognitive activity may result in processes such as worry and rumination, which are aimed at improving predictions of the relevance of bodily sensations (Paulus & Stein, 2010). Ironically, however, PC may serve to further tax mental resources, impeding disengagement from PC or distancing oneself from one’s thoughts (Whitfield Gabrieli & Ford, 2012; Marchetti, Koster, Sonuga-Barke, & De Raedt, 2012; Bernstein et al, 2015). In contrast, it is possible that decentering would improve the signal to noise ratio of interoceptive afferents, thus reducing the likelihood of PC and facilitating healthy parasympathetic activity.…”

Theoretical Foundations to Guide Mindfulness Meditation: A Path to Wisdom

“…Approaching feelings this way diminishes the power a feeling can have over the 26 individual, and enables one to live life without being a victim of one's own thoughts (Anālayo 2006, p. 222). Related to this, psychological studies have shown that the ability to decenter from one's thoughts, feelings, etc., is linked to better mental health and wellbeing (Bernstein et al 2015). Such mindful observations also gradually cultivate a person's ability to withstand varied experiences.…”