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
Recent Publications
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
Eckland, N. S., Huang, A. B., & Berenbaum, H. (2019). Empathic Accuracy: Associations With Prosocial Behavior and Self-Insecurity. Emotion. https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0000622
Mu, W., & Berenbaum, H. (2019). Negative self-conscious emotions: Appraisals, action tendencies, and labels. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 38(2), 113-139. https://doi.org/10.1521/jscp.2019.38.2.113
Milanak, M. E., Judah, M. R., Berenbaum, H., Kramer, A. F., & Neider, M. (2018). PTSD symptoms and overt attention to contextualized emotional faces: Evidence from eye tracking. Psychiatry Research, 269, 408-413. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2018.08.102
