Abstract

CARRILLO, Jesús M.ª; COLLADO, Susana; ROJO, Nieves  and  W. STAATS, Arthur. The role of positive and negative emotions in the prediction of depression: the psychological behaviorism principle of additivity of emotions. Clínica y Salud [online]. 2006, vol.17, n.3, pp.277-295. ISSN 2174-0550.

Emotions are central in psychological behaviourism (PB) (Staats, 1996, 2003). This paper examines the PB principle of additivity of positive and negative emotions within the framework of the study of depression. The THARL scales were used to measure both types of emotions stemming both from the world of thoughts and from the real life experience. Participants filled out the BDI depression questionnaire and the THARL scales. Three groups of participants were made up -one group with two sources of positive emotion, a second group having negative and positive sources of emotion and a third group with two sources of negative emotion. A univariate ANOVA yielded a significant effect of negative and positive emotions on depression. The Bonferroni post hoc test was used to check between group differences. Thus, the principle of additivity of emotions was proved, although negative emotions appear to have a bigger effect on depression. These results were further supported by a confirmatory analysis (path analysis with latent variables), showing that the positive and negative sources of emotions had a joint effect on depression. These results may be valuable to understand the central role played by emotion in personality and to understand emotional disorders such as depression and hence to help therapists in clinical assessment and treatment.

Keywords : Principle of Additivity of emotions; Positive and negative emotions; Emotions and depression; Psychological behaviorism theory of personality; Psychological behaviorism theory of depression.

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