Background: The perception of self-discrepancies between the actual self and the ideal self has been defined as a cognitive risk factor for depression (Higgins, 1987). In this view, self-discrepancy monitoring (SDM) refers to the voluntary re-orientation of attention towards detecting discrepancies between ideal and actual selves, even in a positive situation. Aims: The goal of this study was to explore the impact of SDM on levels of mood in the face of positive stimuli. Method: Two clinical and two non-clinical samples were recruited from two different European countries (Italy and Romania). All participants were asked to focus on a past positive experience, and were then randomly allocated to one of two induction tasks. The experimental condition consisted of monitoring discrepancies between personal goals and the recalled positive experience, while the control condition consisted of observing what the participant was feeling. Results: The findings show that, after recalling a positive memory, SDM leads to a significant decrease in mood over a short period independent of the severity of depressive symptoms. This effect is partially mediated by the concurrent change in levels of brooding. Conclusions: Self-discrepancy monitoring in response to positive stimuli tends to lower current mood independent of the initial level of depressive symptoms, and seems to be a global trigger of emotional distress that does not refer only to a depressed cognitive style.

Despite the importance of moral distress in the nursing scholarship, little attention is paid to the phenomena in the psychological literature as an important occupational stressor. A factor limiting the application of moral distress to other occupational settings is its definitional features. First, a necessary condition of moral distress is the acknowledgment prior to behaviour initiation that behaviour will contravene personal moral ideals. Second, the definition of moral distress specifies that the inability to act in accordance with one's moral framework is driven by institutional constraints (non-autonomous behaviour). This article proposes that moral distress not be limited in these ways, and makes two central contributions to resolve this core problem. We offer a critique and extension of the conceptual definition of moral distress. Fourteen Australian medical doctors participated in a semi-structured interview regarding occupational morally distressing events. Medical doctors were chosen for our interviews because they are an occupational population with considerable decision-making autonomy. Based on the findings, two recommendations are made: (1) that the definition of moral distress is not limited to events where decision-making and behaviour is non-autonomous, and (2) moral distress should not be limited to occasions where the moral conflict is identified prior to decision-making or behaviour. An alternative definition of moral distress is proposed. We conclude that while organisational limitations are an important precipitate of moral distress, they are not a necessary condition for its emergence.

Based on the relationship between cognitive intrusions and auditory hallucinations established by Morrison and Baker (2000) and Morrison, Haddock and Tarrier (1995) the present study examines the possible effect of the repeated suppression of self-discrepant thoughts on the vividness of auditory illusions in a sample from a non-clinical population. Sixty-one participants were randomly assigned to a suppression of thoughts group (n = 31) or a focalization of thoughts group (n = 30) with different levels of self-discrepancy. After carrying out the task over a period of 48 hours, participants were presented with non-vocal auditory stimulation and asked to state whether they heard any verbalizations, and if so, how clearly. Results show how the repeated suppression of self-discrepant thoughts has a considerable effect on the vividness of illusions (F(1, 50) = 16.09; p < 0.001). The implications of these results for psychological therapy are analysed, with special emphasis on the importance of a research line based on acceptance.