Cognitive balance and specificity in anxiety and depression

States of Mind (SOM) theory postulates that distress is a function of the ratio of (positive) to (positive + negative) thoughts, with a Positive Dialogue SOM (range =.56-.68) reflecting ideal health. This study tested (a) whether the theory's description of cognitions associated with depression and anxiety could be improved by considering cognitive content-specificity; and (b) what is unhealthy about SOM's higher than the optimal range (Positive Monologue). Study 1 (N = 76) consisted of developing a measure of positive anxiety-related thoughts. Study 2 (N = 155) supported content specificity in that SOM's based on depression-related cognitions explained more variance in depressive symptoms than did SOM's based on anxiety-related cognitions. Specificity was less evident for anxiety-relevant thoughts, especially positive ones. Positive Monologue subjects showed no clear signs of dysfunction, though they exceeded Positive Dialogue subjects on a measure of self-deception.