On the Relationship between Obsessive Beliefs and Thought- Action Fusion in Adolescents

Thought–action fusion is the tendency to treat mental states as similar to behavior in terms of physical or moral consequence. The goal of this research is to examine the relationship between each of the two major types of thought–action fusion (i.e. likelihood and moral) and obsessive beliefs in nonclinical adolescents. In this study, 220 adolescents (124 females and 96 males), aged between 18-20, completed Thought–Action Fusion Questionnaire and Obsessive Beliefs Questionnaire. The results showed that there was a significant correlation between thought–action fusion and obsessive beliefs (P<0.01). Moreover, obsessive beliefs could predict 30 percent of variance of thought–action fusion. Importance of thoughts/control of thoughts and responsibility/threat estimation also were good predictors of thought–action fusion. Obsessive beliefs can predict thought–action fusion that is a cognitive bias linked to obsessive-compulsive disorder.