What is the relationship between cognitive vulnerability to depression and immunity? Beginning to fill this knowledge gap, Strauman et al. (2004) demonstrated that idiographic feedback about motivationally significant goals affected natural killer cell numbers and activity differently for individuals based on their self-evaluation. This connection may provide an overarching explanation for the links between cognitive vulnerability and depression as well as depression and immunity. In a secondary analysis of IL-6 data, we sought to determine the effects of idiographic success or failure (i.e., priming self-congruency or discrepancy) during a writing task on IL-6 activation. Blood samples were collected after each of three priming feedback condition, stimulated in culture with LPS and also co-cultured with a gradient of dexamethasone doses. IL-6 levels and Dex inhibition gradients were correlated with depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory), and with the impact of the success and failure manipulations on students who varied in their cognitive self-discrepancy. The primary hypothesis was that the cells from highly discrepant individuals would show greater release of IL-6 when their discrepancies were primed by the writing task. Further, we anticipated that there might be an association between IL-6 and depressive symptoms. These results broaden the application of the PNI perspective to include a cognitive/affective framework that is influential in psychological thought and help to bridge the known relationships between personality attributes, depression and immunity.