Over the past two decades, a new picture of the cognitive unconscious has emerged from a variety of disciplines that are broadly part of cognitive science. According to this picture, unconscious processes seem to be capable of doing many things that were thought to require intention, deliberation, and conscious awareness. Moreover, they accomplish these things without the conflict and drama of the psychoanalytic unconscious. These processes range from complex information processing, through goal pursuit and emotions, to cognitive control and self-regulation.

This collection of 20...

"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...