ABSTRACT Unwanted, repetitive thoughts or rumination is a major symptom of a number of psychological disorders, and may even instigate and maintain some disorders, such as depression. Previous research on ruminative thinking has not fully addressed such questions as: Where do such thoughts come from in the first place? What motivates people to think at all? Why do they think about one thing as opposed to another? Finally, why do people ever stop thinking about something? These researchers have developed a theory that addresses three basic questions about rumination: What starts it? What stops it? And what determines its content? The theory suggests that the blockage of personal goals leads to thought. The content of thought is determined by several factors including individuals' beliefs about what is important in the situation and what they have learned to associate with that situation. A series of theory guided experiments and field study will explore: the role of goals in initiating and terminating rumination; the role of people's own subjective theories about their goals in determining the content of rumination; the role of goal non-attainment in producing analytical, problem solving thinking as opposed to feeling centered thinking; the relative effectiveness of blocked goals versus the environment ininitiating very long-term (i.e., years) rumination. This research should yield a better understanding of the factors involved in activating spontaneous thoughts, determining their content, and reducing their power to intrude.
