A fresh lens on psychological flexibility: Using network analysis and the Unified Flexibility and Mindfulness Model to uncover paths to wellbeing and distress

The current study sought to ground exploratory network analyses on 12 dimensions of psychological flexibility (PF) within the conceptual framework of the Unified Flexibility and Mindfulness (UFM) Model, organizing aspects of psychological flexibility into distinct stepwise stages of responding to difficult thoughts, feelings, and experiences. Toward that end, psychological network analyses were conducted within a sample of 276 undergraduate students (62% White, 61% female, M_age = 19) with a wide range of psychological distress and wellbeing in order to comprehensively explore the relationships between psychological flexibility and inflexibility processes as well as their unique links to various individual outcomes. The results offered new insights to the PF model. Whereas dimensions of flexibility demonstrated robust links to wellbeing, dimensions of inflexibility demonstrated more robust links to forms of distress. The models also highlighted cognitive fusion, inaction, contact with values, and self-as-context as notably central processes demonstrating strong links to many other forms of PF and to both psychological distress and wellbeing. Visualizing the results within the UFM conceptual framework offered tentative support for that model, as the results suggested that maintaining mindful present moment awareness was proximally linked to greater use of decentering strategies (i.e., acceptance, self-as-context, defusion) in response to difficult experiences, which were in turn proximally linked to more value-driven behavior (i.e., maintaining contact with values and engaging in committed action despite any setbacks or difficulties), which were proximally linked to various forms of wellbeing (i.e., psychological, social, environmental, and physical health wellbeing, flourishing). Additional links emerged (albeit relatively weaker) suggesting an even higher level of interconnectivity among mindful flexibility processes than suggested by the stages of the UFM. In fact, although most of the links were in the expected directions, experiential avoidance was linked to greater self-as-context, suggesting possible adaptive forms of that behavior. Implications are discussed.