"Like a Bridge over Troubled Waters" The surge of current interest in
the interface between clinical and social psychology is well illustrated
by the publication of a number of general texts and journals in this
area, and the growing emphasis in graduate programs on providing
training in both disciplines. Although the bene- fits of an integrated
clinical-social approach have been recognized for a number of years, the
recent work in this area has advanced from the- oretical extrapolations
of social psychological models to clinical issues to theory and research
that is based on social principles and conducted in clinical domains. It
is becoming increasingly common to find social psy- chologists pursuing
research with clinical populations and clinical psy- chologists
investigating variables that have traditionally been in the realm of
social psychology. A major area of interface between the two disciplines
is in research and theory concerned with how individuals respond to
negative events. In addition to the trend toward an integrated
clinical-social approach, the growing body of literature in this area
reflects the explosion of cur- rent interest in the area of health
psychology; work by clinical and social psychologists on the topics of
stress and coping has been one of the major facets of this burgeoning
field. The purpose of the present volume is to provide a common forum
for recent advances in the clinical and social literature on responses
to negative life outcomes.