A hyper-emotion theory of psychological illnesses.
A hyper-emotion theory of psychological illnesses is presented. It postulates that these illnesses have an onset in which a cognitive evaluation initiates a sequence of unconscious transitions yielding a basic emotion. This emotion is appropriate for the situation but inappropriate in its intensity. Whenever it recurs, it leads individuals to a focus on the precipitating situation and to characteristic patterns of inference that can bolster the illness. Individuals with a propensity to psychological illness accordingly reason better than more robust individuals, but only on topics relevant to their illness. The theory is assessed in the light of previous research, a small epidemiological study of patients, and 3 empirical studies.
Johnson-Laird
P N
PN
Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA. phil@princeton.edu
Mancini
Francesco
F
Gangemi
Amelia
A
D000339:Affect / Q000502:physiology*; D003657:Decision Making; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D011582:Psychological Theory; D014473:Unconscious, Psychology