ABSTRACT
Repetitive thought (RT) is defined as the ‘process of thinking attentively, repetitively or frequently about one’s self and one’s world’ and has been proposed to form ‘the core of a number of different models of adjustment and maladjustment’ (Segerstrom, Stanton, Alden, & Shortridge, 2003, p. 3). Repetition is a property that is common to a range of thought processes that have implications for self-regulation, psychopathology, and mental and physical health, including worry, rumination, cognitive processing, rehearsal, reflection, and problem-solving. Watkins (2008) argued that organizing our knowledge of these different processes around the generic construct of RT provides a means to integrate a number of disparate literatures, without being limited by preconceptions or different terminology. Importantly, RT encompasses processes that are relevant to both normal and pathological grief.
