This paper examines the role of psychological inflexibility as a moderator that influences how Americans react to violent ISIS events. Numerous media outlets, both in traditional media as well as online, report on the releases of ISIS propaganda videos as well as violent attacks claimed by ISIS. It is the aim of my study to clarify how exposure to news of these kinds of violent events effects Americans on an individual level and the psychological conditions that influence these reactions. My research study examines the psychological effect of randomly viewing one of three CNN news stories: an emotional event unrelated to ISIS, a teacher winning an award, or a propaganda video depicting the beheadings of Christians. I recruited two samples of participants: an online sample of survey-takers and a student sample at a rural public university in the American South. Special attention is given to the personality variables that influence how participants react to this video, the way that a depiction of the event changes mood, and the way that the video influences Americans’ opinions of various organizations, politicians, political parties, and minority religious groups, including Muslims and Syrian refugees who are resettling in the United States. Central to my work is psychological inflexibility, which is a psychological construct that describes the way that some people react behaviorally to their own distressing emotions and thoughts. Though it originated in clinical theories, psychological inflexibility has been shown to contribute to prejudice and discriminatory behavior. My hypothesis is that viewing the news of the violent event will increase negative mood, and those high in psychological inflexibility will seek to reduce that negative mood by supporting prejudicial security policies that unfairly target Muslims and seeking to limit the number of Syrian refugees that are granted passage to the United States. I also predict significant differences between the online sample, which is more representative of a diverse American population, and the student sample which is more rural, Southern, religious, and conservative. This research demonstrates one way that clinical psychology, a field seemingly unrelated to politics, communication studies, or the mass media, may contribute to a fruitful discussion of American reactions to ISIS.