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Abstract
Mental imagery has been considered relevant to psychopathology due to its supposed
special relationship with emotion, although evidence for this assumption has been
conspicuously lacking. The present review is divided into four main sections: (1)
First, we review evidence that imagery can evoke emotion in at least three ways: a
direct influence on emotional systems in the brain that are responsive to sensory
signals; overlap between processes involved in mental imagery and perception which
can lead to responding "as if" to real emotion-arousing events; and the capacity of
images to make contact with memories for emotional episodes in the past. (2) Second,
we describe new evidence confirming that imagery does indeed evoke greater emotional
responses than verbal representation, although the extent of emotional response depends
on the image perspective adopted. (3) Third, a heuristic model is presented that contrasts
the generation of language-based representations with imagery and offers an account
of their differing effects on emotion, beliefs and behavior. (4) Finally, based on
the foregoing review, we discuss the role of imagery in maintaining emotional disorders,
and its uses in psychological treatment.
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