Research Interests
The ultimate goal of my research is to explain the development of adult psychopathology, with a focus on the role of emotional processes. My research is not limited to a single circumscribed etiological factor or experimental paradigm. This is important because of the overwhelming evidence that psychopathological conditions are complex and multidetermined. The vast majority of work in my lab has been guided by a framework for describing emotional disturbances that was proposed by my students and me (Berenbaum et al, 2003). Specifically, we proposed that there are three broad types of emotional disturbances (each of which includes several subtypes): (a) disturbances in emotional valence (e.g., excessive levels of unpleasant emotion); (b) disturbances in emotional intensity/variability/regulation; and (c) disturbances in emotional awareness. In recent years, my work has focused on the following phenomena: (a) emotional awareness and other meta-emotion factors; (b) emotional intensity and variability; (c) peculiarity; and (d) worry.
Research Description
The ultimate goal of my research is to explain the development of adult psychopathology, with a focus on the role of emotional processes. My research is not limited to a single circumscribed etiological factor or experimental paradigm. This is important because of the overwhelming evidence that psychopathological conditions are complex and multidetermined. The vast majority of work in my lab has been guided by a framework for describing emotional disturbances that was proposed by my students and me (Berenbaum et al, 2003). Specifically, we proposed that there are three broad types of emotional disturbances (each of which includes several subtypes): (a) disturbances in emotional valence (e.g., excessive levels of unpleasant emotion); (b) disturbances in emotional intensity/variability/regulation; and (c) disturbances in emotional awareness. In recent years, my work has focused on the following phenomena: (a) emotional awareness and other meta-emotion factors; (b) emotional intensity and variability; (c) peculiarity; and (d) worry.
Education
Ph.D. from Indiana University
Additional Campus Affiliations
Professor, Psychiatry
Recent Publications
Eckland, N. S., & Berenbaum, H. (Accepted/In press). Emotional Awareness in Daily Life: Exploring Its Potential Role in Repetitive Thinking and Healthy Coping. Behavior Therapy. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2020.04.010
Eckland, N. S., Huang, A. B., & Berenbaum, H. (2020). Empathic accuracy: Associations with prosocial behavior and self-insecurity. Emotion, 20(7), 1306-1310. https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0000622
Berenbaum, H., Huang, A. B., & Flores, L. E. (2019). Contentment and tranquility: Exploring their similarities and differences. Journal of Positive Psychology, 14(2), 252-259. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2018.1484938
Hur, J., Gaul, K., & Berenbaum, H. (2019). Different Patterns of Attention Bias in Worry and Rumination. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 43(4), 713-725. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-018-09993-4
Mu, W., Schoenleber, M., Leon, A. C., & Berenbaum, H. (2019). Body image distortion following social rejection or acceptance cues. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 38(5), 395-408. https://doi.org/10.1521/jscp.2019.38.5.395
