Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Perfectionism and Sense of Shame in Students

Abstract

The present experimental study aimed at investigating the effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) on the perfectionism and sense of shame in students of Isfahan University using a pretest-posttest design. A number of 30 male students were recruited based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, as well as a clinical interview conducted by a specialist. Those who had no symptoms of severe psychological or personality disorders on DSM-5 were selected and randomly divided into two experimental and control groups. The experimental group received 8 sessions (90 minutes sessions per week, during two months) of the ACT while the control group experienced none. Data were gathered before and after the last session of the therapy by the Ahvaz Perfectionism Questionnaire (Najarian, Attari, & Zargar, 1999) and Test of Self-Conscious Affect (Tangney, 1989). The SPSS software, version 18 was used to analyze the data. Results of MANCOVA indicated that the ACT reduced perfectionism (P < 0.001) and the sense of shame (P < 0.05) in the experimental group. Accordingly, it is inferred that the ACT is generally effective in reducing perfectionism and sense of shame. Therefore, this affordable approach can be used to create the right impression and increase the real self in Iranian students in order to have a better psychological status.