Abstract
The broaden-and-build theory of emotions suggests that positive emotions such as happiness and hope expand thought-action repertoires and support the building of resources and resilience to a variety of psychological disorders. Even brief, transient experiences of positive emotions have been found to increase resilience measured one month later, suggesting a role for clinical mood inductions.
This study presents a preliminary test of the new Broad-Minded Affective Coping (BMAC) procedure, a positive emotion induction technique involving the recall of positive autobiographical memories. Fifty people with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders were randomly allocated to a condition where they either experienced the BMAC or a control procedure. Participants who took part in the BMAC showed greater increases in both hope and happiness.
These results suggest that the BMAC represents a practical and effective method for boosting mood amongst individuals with psychosis-spectrum disorders.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 61-70 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Cognitive Therapy and Research |
Volume | 37 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 29 Mar 2012 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Broaden-and-build
- Positive clinical psychology
- Positive emotions
- Psychosis
- Resilience
- Schizophrenia