An Immersive Exploration of Self-Identity to Enhance Metacognitive Capacities

Authors

Danielle Mullins¹ , Miquel Alabèrnia-Segura¹ , Sonia Lorente¹ , Alba Garcia-Monzó¹ , Guillem Feixas¹

1. Universitat de Barcelona

Conference / event

30th Annual Conference of the International Society for Research on Identity (ISRI), June 2024 (Tilburg, Netherlands)

Poster summary

Metacognitive capacities (e.g., understanding of mental states of self and others) are recognized as an essential component for optimal functioning and psychotherapeutic success, especially in cases characterized by complexity and resistance to conventional treatment approaches. We developed a three-session immersive metacognitive training utilizing the digital platform "EYME-Explore Your Meanings" and virtual reality (VR). Based on the repertory grid technique, this platform prompts users to articulate the personal meanings they have constructed about themselves and significant others. These relationships and networks of personal meanings are then explored in a VR environment with professional guidance and reflective questions. This quasi-experimental pre-post study consisted of a single group of young adults (ages 18-29 inclusive) with no known mental health problems. Initial results from 18 consecutive participants who have completed the training illustrate the potential for transformative outcomes including: significant enhancements in subjective psychological well-being, problem-solving abilities, and reduced depressive, anxiety and stress symptoms.

Keywords

Psychology, Virtual reality, Metacognition, Repertory grid technique, Depression, Intervention

Research areas

Psychology and Behavioral Sciences

References

No data provided

Funding

No data provided

Supplemental files

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Additional information

Competing interests

No competing interests were disclosed.

Data availability statement

The datasets generated during and / or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Creative Commons license

Copyright © 2024 Mullins et al. This is an open access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.