Metacognition and clinical psychology: a preliminary framework for research and practice

Abstract

A theoretical framework for metacognition in clinical psychology is proposed that emphasizes the metacognitive monitoring and metacognitive control of emotional states. The proposal is that the person monitors his/her emotional state, applies a label to it, compares it to a goal state, and takes action to make the current emotional state become closer to the goal state. Implications are drawn for clinical research and clinical practice, with examples given for schizophrenia and excessive anger. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.