By Dr George Varvatsoulias CPsychol CSci Expert Witness

... , - Sorrow can be explained in many ways and dispositions (St Maximus the Confessor) ... ... , ... ... ... ...if through pain the kinds of self-love are awaken, there are generated...sor-row, hopelessness, despair...dysthymia, careless-ness... (St Maximus the Confessor) (Comp. what cognitive behavioural therapy argues that depres-sion is a selfish illness)

... ... - ...(he) who caused such hard sorrow to oneself, instigated against others mania... (St Gregory Palamas) (Mania is regarded as part of what it is called bipolar disorder) ... ... those whose choices are as such...cannot bear sorrow (melancholia) bravely... (St Makarius the Egyptian)

, , ... (Some) small attention unsettled you, (some) small anxiety took you by surprise, (some) small sorrow/melancholia defeated you... (St John Chrysostom) , - Each one of us struggles against the spirit of listleness that is bound and attached to the spirit of sorrow (St John Damascene)

Psychology of Religion (1): Sorrow and melancholy in terms of personality traits The Big 5: Conscientiousness, Neuroticism, Agreeableness, Open to new experiences, Extraversion Mental health and spirituality: In-group belonging and commitment to religious practices

Psychology of religion (2): Sorrow and melancholy in terms of the pathology of beliefs The challenge of faith and the search for selfassertiveness Belief, sense of identity, human interrelationships Socialisation and alienation

Evolutionary Psychology (1): Sorrow and melancholy in terms of failure and hopelessness Sorrow and melancholy form parts of the general depressive attitude: sorrow relates to ruminative thinking; melancholy relates to hopelessness Sorrow is also explained as deriving from low mood and self-esteem, whereas melancholy is an emotional response of depression

Evolutionary Psychology (2): Sorrow and melancholy in terms of adaptation and survival In evolutionary psychology, sorrow and melancholy are explained as adaptive responses having been selected for in order that individuals to solve adaptive problems Involuntary subordination to salient others could also be subject to sorrow and melancholy

Cognitive behavioural therapy (1): Sorrow and melancholy in terms of negative automatic thoughts 3-Systems Model for sorrow and melancholy: Situation/ event beliefs/images/interpretations physical sensations-emotional responses-avoidant behaviours Sorrow and melancholy both as emotional responses to faulty cognitive thinking and avoidant behaviours to emotions havent been dealt with

Cognitive behavioural therapy (2): Behavioural activation for sorrow and melancholy Trigger Response Behaviour Avoidant Behaviour (Negative reinforcement): Unintended consequence/Intended consequence Behavioural activation (leading to positive reinforcement through tests or experiments): Unintended consequence/Intended consequence

Safranske, E. P. (Ed.) (1996). Religion and the clinical practice of psychology. Washington DC: American Psychological Association. Buss, D. M. (Ed.) (2005). The handbook of evolutionary psychology. Hoboken NJ: John Wiley & Sons. Watson, D. L. & Tharp, R. G. (2007). Selfdirected behavior. Belmont CA: ThomsonWadsworth.