THE SELF IN DEPRESSION - RESEARCH TRENDS AND CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS

This article offers a brief selective review of basic research finding s linking the self to clinical depression. Criteria used for identifyi ng the most influential research trends included theoretical impact, e xtent of empirical support, and potential clinical utility. We discuss and summarize several of the most productive areas of research on the self self-esteem, the self-schema, and self-inconsistency. Within eac h topic area, tbe most important findings and their applicability to p sychotherapy for depression are presented. The article concludes with a discussion of issues raised by the review itself and a set of recomm endations for applying basic research findings to treatment selection and psychotherapeutic intervention. (C) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.