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Cognitive balance and specificity in anxiety and depression

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Abstract

States of mind (SOM) theory holds that distress is a function of the SOM ratio of (positive) to (positive+negative) thoughts. We investigated (a) whether symptoms of depression and anxiety would be uniquely associated with SOM ratios derived from theoretically depression-specific or anxiety-specific cognition measures, and (b) what is unhealthy about SOMs that are more positive than the theoretically optimal range. Study 1 involved the development of a measure of positive anxiety-related thoughts. Study 2 indicated that SOMs based on depression-related cognitions explained more variance in depressive symptoms than did SOMs based on anxiety-related cognitions. Specificity was less evident for anxiety-relevant thoughts. “Excessively” positive thinking was not found to be dysfunctional.

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  1. Department of Psychology, Asbury Building, American University, 20016-8062, Washington, DC

    Wilson McDermut & David A. F. Haaga

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  1. Wilson McDermut
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  2. David A. F. Haaga
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McDermut, W., Haaga, D.A.F. Cognitive balance and specificity in anxiety and depression. Cogn Ther Res 18, 333–352 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02357509

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