To what extent are we in control of our thoughts and actions?" This question - which cuts across cognitive, social, clinical, developmental, and health psychology - is the focus of this unusually rich and provocative volume. Examining the underlying mechanisms of unintended thought, the work then delineates its consequences in day to day life as well as in mental and emotional disturbance. The editors and outstanding contributors to this volume develop three major themes: the extent to which research findings in controlled settings bear on cognition and behavior outside the laboratory; the growing sophistication in terminology, which enables investigators to inquire more precisely into what constitutes intention and control of thought; and when self control over unintended thought is possible or even desirable.
