Studying the Effect of Feeling Suppression and Psychological and Physical Symptoms According to Integrative Self- Knowledge, Mindfulness, Self- Compassion, Social Desirability and Self- Control

Current literature demonstrates a negative relationship between repression, physical heath, and psychological adjustment. In contrast, several recent studies indicated that repression and suppression of emotion might separate traits that had different relationships with adjustment and health, especially when combined with different personality traits. Based on this idea, the current study investigated the relationship between emotion suppression, physical health, and adjustment according to the role of self-regulation processes. A sample of 220 students (125 females and 95 males) from University of Tehran completed Suppression /Self-Regulation of Withholding Negative Emotions (Kim et al,  2002), Integrative Self-Knowledge (Ghorbani et al, 2008), Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (Brown and Ryan, 2003), Self-Compassion (Raes et al, 2011), Self-Control (Tagney et al, 2004), Social desirability (Balard, 1992), Subjective Vitality (Ryan and frederick, 1997), General Health Questionnaire (Goldberg et al, 1997), and Symptom Checklist (Bartone, 1995). The results showed that controlled suppression of emotion negatively related to self-regulation processes and predicted negative physical and mental symptoms, while autonomous suppression of emotion had a positive relationship with integrative self-knowledge and self-control. Furthermore, social desirability had a positive relationship with self-regulation processes and predicted health through self-regulation processes. Based on this results, it could be concluded that suppression of emotion is not entirely a maladaptive trait and it may work in certain contexts.  Theoretical implications are discussed.