Process and meta-cognitive dimensions of depressive and anxious thoughts and relationships with emotional intensity

Abstract

Cognitive theorists have argued that different types of thinking characterize different emotional states. Recently, in an information-processing model of emotional disorder, Wells and Matthews (1994, 1996) argue that it is not only the content of thought but also the process and meta-cognitive dimensions of particular types of thinking that may be implicated in problem maintenance. However, little is known about how different types of thinking overlap and differ. This study compared the process and meta-cognitive characteristics of naturally occurring depressive and anxious thoughts in a non-clinical sample. We also investigated relationships between thought dimensions and intensity of emotional responses for each type of thought. Subjects were provided with a diary for recording and rating the content of their first and second depressive and anxious thoughts occurring during a two-week period. The results showed that although depressive and anxious thoughts were rated similarly on a number of dimensions, significant differences emerged, and particular dimensions of thought, other than belief level, were associated with emotional intensity. The conceptual and clinical implications of these findings are briefly discussed. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.