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Specificity and patterning in biobehavioral systems: Implications for behavior change
American Psychologist
Short Title: Specificity and patterning in biobehavioral systems
Format: Journal Article
Publication Year: 1978
Pages: 430-436
Library/Archive: (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved
Sources ID: 22621
Visibility: Private
Zotero Collections: Contexts of Contemplation Project
Abstract: (Show)

Illustrates parallels between global descriptions of internal states in clinical and personality psychology and notions of global arousal in autonomic and central psychophysiology. Such assumptions about the undifferentiated nature of internal states are questioned on the basis of recent psychophysiological research. Data are reviewed on cortical specificity and its implications for conceptualizing clinically relevant cognitive and affective processes. Principles of psychophysiological specificity are applied to the understanding and self-regulation of anxiety. General implications of this approach for the rationally based construction of therapeutic interventions are discussed. (41 ref)

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Contexts of Contemplation Project