This study investigated the effect of internalized shame on experiential avoidance among 248 university students, examining the mediating role of external contingency of self-worth and the moderated mediation effect of self-concept clarity.
Results co...
This study investigated the effect of internalized shame on experiential avoidance among 248 university students, examining the mediating role of external contingency of self-worth and the moderated mediation effect of self-concept clarity.
Results confirmed that external contingency of self-worth mediated the relationship between internalized shame and experiential avoidance. Furthermore, a moderated mediation effect was verified; specifically, the indirect effect of shame on experiential avoidance through external contingency was stronger for individuals with high self-concept clarity.
These findings suggest that self-concept clarity, generally considered a positive resource, acts as a vulnerability factor in the context of high internalized shame by reinforcing cognitive fusion with ‘self-as-content.’ This underscores that counseling interventions for shame-prone clients should prioritize cultivating psychological flexibility through defusion and acceptance, rather than relying solely on simple clarification approaches.