ABSTRACT
This chapter examines every cognitive theory of every emotional disorder. Cognitive therapists have argued for a circular relationship between cognition and emotion rather than a simple linear one. Although many of the theories of emotional disorder that have reviewed began life specific to a particular disorder, the more successful theories have subsequently been applied to a range of other emotional disorders. The chapter explains the term 'emotional processing' was used by Rachman in reference to how an individual processes stressful events. It presents social-cognitive theories of psychopathology to argue that vulnerability to emotional disorders cannot solely be located in factors internal to the individual nor in factors that are solely external. In contrast to theories of normal emotion, cognitive approaches to the emotional disorders have typically focused on a specific disorder such as depression or anxiety rather than attempting broader accounts of a range of emotional disorders.
