Abstract
This review integrates Fredrickson's broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions with advances in affective neuroscience regarding plasticity in the neural circuitry of emotions to inform the treatment of emotion deficits within psychopathology. We first present a body of research showing that positive emotions broaden cognition and behavioral repertoires, and in so doing, build durable biopsychosocial resources that support coping and flourishing mental health. Next, by explicating the processes through which momentary experiences of emotions may accrue into self-perpetuating emotional systems, the current review proposes an underlying architecture of state-trait interactions that engenders lasting affective dispositions. This theoretical framework is then used to elucidate the cognitive-emotional mechanisms underpinning three disorders of affect regulation: depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia. In turn, two mind training interventions, mindfulness and loving-kindness meditation, are highlighted as means of generating positive emotions that may counter the negative affective processes implicated in these disorders. We conclude with the proposition that positive emotions may exert a countervailing force on the dysphoric, fearful, or anhedonic states characteristic of psychopathologies typified by emotional dysfunctions.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 849-864 |
Number of pages | 16 |
Journal | Clinical Psychology Review |
Volume | 30 |
Issue number | 7 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Nov 2010 |
Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This publication was made possible by Grant Number ( T32 AT003378 ) from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) awarded to Eric L. Garland. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the NCCAM, or the National Institutes of Health.
Keywords
- Broaden-and-build
- Emotions
- Mindfulness
- Neuroplasticity
- Psychopathology