Emotion is a basic phenomenon of human functioning, most of the time having an adaptive value enhancing our effectiveness in pursuing our goals in the broadest sense. Regulation of these emotions, however, is essential for adaptive functioning, and suboptimal or dysfunctional emotion regulation may even be counterproductive and result in adverse consequences, including a poor well-being and ill health. This volume provides a state-of-the art overview of issues related to the association between emotion regulation and both mental and physical well-being. It covers various areas of research highly relevant to both researchers in the field and clinicians working with emotion regulation issues in their practice. Included topics are arranged along four major areas: • (Neuro-)biological processes involved in the generation and regulation of emotions • Psychological processes and mechanisms related to the link between emotion regulation and psychological well-being as well as physical health • Social perspective on emotion regulation pertaining to well-being and social functioning across the life span • Clinical aspects of emotion regulation and specific mental and physical health problems This broad scope offers the possibility to include research findings and thought-provoking views of leading experts from different fields of research, such as cognitive neuroscience, clinical psychology, psychophysiology, social psychology, and psychiatry on specific topics such as nonconscious emotion regulation, emotional body language, self-control, rumination, mindfulness, social sharing, positive emotions, intergroup emotions, and attachment in their relation to well-being and health. Chapters are based on the “Fourth International Conference on the (Non) Expression of Emotions in Health and Disease” held at Tilburg University in October 2007. In 2007 Springer published “Emotion Regulation: Conceptual and Clinical Issues” based on the Third International Conference on the (Non) Expression of Emotion in Health and Disease,” held at Tilburg University in October 2003. It is anticipated that, depending on sales, we may continue to publish the advances deriving from this conference.

The (Non)Expression of Emotions in Health Disease contains the texts of contributions to the international conference on the (non)expression of emotions in health and disease, held at Tilburg University on August 28 - 30, 1996. Emotions are important for people in daily life. Their relevance is linked to their communicational aspects and their function to motivate, fuel, and guide our efforts to cope with the world around us. But emotions can also seriously interfere with people's ability to function adequately and can thus impede adaptation. In addition, both (quasi)experimental and correlational studies have yielded support for the hypothesis that the nonexpression of emotions may be an important factor for health status. However, it is not entirely clear how the different constructs and findings obtained with different methodologies relate to one another. Also, little is known about possible aetiological factors associated with nonexpression. Why are some individuals more expressive than others? What are the basic functions of emotional expressiveness and why and how could nonexpressiveness be associated with poor health status? Topics like alexi-thymia, emotions and disease, and the clinical aspects are addressed in this publication. Finally, there are contributions focusing on adult crying. The book is intended for both researchers and clinicians in the behavioral sciences and in medicine.

this book is timely given the growing scientific interest in the issue of the role of emotional expression in health and disease contributors are authoritative, leaders of their field eg. James Pennebaker, Dept. of Psychology, University of Texas, Guilford author draws on attachment theory: currently a hot topic.

An increasing number of studies have been conducted on the role of expression and regulation of emotion in health. Emotion Regulation addresses the question of these studies from diverse angles while encompassing conceptual, developmental, and clinical issues. Central concepts discussed in this volume that are related to health include: coping styles and aggression, alexithymia, emotional intelligence, emotional expression and depression, emotional expression and anxiety disorders, in addition to the emotional competence in children. The book is unique in describing up-to-date theories and empirical research in the area of emotional expression and health.

This volume examines expressions of such feelings as love, anger, and sadness, and highlights the individual and interpersonal processes that shape emotional behavior. It offers a lively and comprehensive discussion of the role of emotional expression and nonexpression in individual adaptation, social interaction, and therapeutic process. Drawing upon extensive theory and research, the authors provide coherent guidelines to help clinicians, researchers, and students identify, conceptualize, and treat problems in emotional behavior. This guide is an important resource for teachers, students, and researchers of clinical, counseling, social, personality, and health psychology, as well as practicing counselors and psychotherapists. It will also serve as a text in advanced undergraduate and graduate-level courses on emotion and interpersonal communication, and in graduate-level counseling and psychotherapy seminars.

Social Psychological Foundations of Health and Illness is a summary of current research in social-health psychology. The chapters, written by distinguished leaders in the field, provide brief surveys of classic developments in each area of study followed by extended discussion of the authors’ research programs. Includes state-of-the-art descriptions of new findings and theories concerning social aspects of physical health and illness. Discusses virtually all of the major topics studied in the contemporary field of social-health psychology. Contains chapters written by leading figures in the field that discuss their own research within the context of classic efforts.

The Writing Cure presents groundbreaking research on the cognitive, emotional, and developmental pathways through which disclosure influences health. Although writing has been a popular therapeutic technique for years, only recently have researchers subjected it to rigorous scientific scrutiny.