Emotions: Current Issues and Future Directions (Emotions and Social Behavior)

This volume presents cutting-edge work in emotion theory and research that is altering the landscape of the field. Contributors--who represent the first generation of psychologists trained primarily as affect scientists--describe innovative methods, models, and measurements that illuminate and at times challenge traditional paradigms. The volume covers the broad subfields of emotion research. Addressed are such basic areas as the structure and function of emotion; affective neuroscience and cognition; positive emotions, including a chapter on the evolution of positive affect; and social and cultural influences on emotion. Also examined are applied and clinical topics, including emotion self-regulation and intelligence and the role of emotions in coping, health, and psychopathology. Structured in a coherent format to facilitate use in teaching, each chapter defines basic terms, reviews the historical development and evolution of the issue at hand, and discusses current research and directions for future investigation. An ideal text for advanced undergraduate and graduate-level courses, this volume is also essential reading for researchers and clinicians across a range of psychological disciplines.

Tracy J. Mayne, PhD, is Director of HIV Epidemiology and Surveillance for Prevention Planning at the New York City Department of Health and Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at New York University. He received his doctorate from Rutgers University in 1993. His research includes the epidemiology of HIV/AIDS in New York City, with a special focus on gay men working in close collaboration with the Gay Men's Health Crisis. His interests also include the relationships between emotion and health and the history and development of the field of clinical psychology.

George A. Bonanno, PhD, is Assistant Professor of Psychology in the Clinical Psychology Program at Teachers College, Columbia University. He received his doctorate from Yale University in 1991. His research and scholarly interests center on emotion and self-deception and the role they play in coping with extreme adversity. Dr. Bonanno is also an avid painter of portraits.