ABSTRACT

Chapter 7 explores sadness from an evolutionary point of view, and looks at the impact it has on thoughts, the physiology of the body, the face, and behaviour. It then explores the functions of sadness, which are often fairly new ideas for adolescents and young adults and their families. This understanding is used to build the sadness trap, a cognitive-behavioural model of what happens when adolescents and young adults get stuck in sadness. There is a particular emphasis on the way in which the elements of the trap pull together to form a tight knot. This trap is used to outline the main ways in which adolescents and young adults can be supported with difficulties with sadness, and also the importance of involving families and peers in this process.