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6/8/09

'Emotional Addictions' Topic Of New Book By SLU Professor

CANTON - People can become addicted to unhealthy emotions in ways similar to becoming addicted to unhealthy substances like tobacco or alcohol, a St. Lawrence University professor states in a new book.

Emotional Addictions: A Reference Book for Addictions and Mental Health Counseling, by Assistant Professor of Education Peter D. Ladd, will be published this month by University Press of America. It is the third in a trilogy by Ladd, all of which deal with the phenomenology of emotions.

Those with addiction to a substance may have substantial difficulties coping with life, even after becoming clean and sober, Ladd states, presenting challenges to both mental health and substance abuse counselors. In the book, he proposes that some people may actually be "addicted" in an unhealthy manner to a specific emotion, including anger, anxiety, apathy, egotism, envy, guilt, jealousy, resentment, revenge or self-hatred. Ladd contends that an emotional addiction operates under similar criteria to a physical addiction with both forms of addiction showing characteristics of denial, compulsive behavior, dependency, tolerance, addictive thinking and withdrawal symptoms. By combining emotions with addictions, Ladd's book offers an approach to helping people with addictions and mental health problems.

Other books in the series are Mediation Conciliation and Emotions: A Practitioner's Guide for Understanding Emotions in Dispute Resolution (2005) and Relationships and Patterns of Conflict Resolution: A Reference Book for Couples Counseling (2007).

Ladd coordinates the certificate of advanced studies program in counseling in the University's graduate school of education. In addition, he acts as the clinical supervisor for the Tekanikonrahwa:kon Holistic Health and Wellness Program on the Akwesasne Mohawk Reservation. A graduate of Duquesne University with a master's degree and Ph.D. from United States International University, he joined the St. Lawrence faculty in 1976 and has written numerous books and articles in the areas of counseling and conflict resolution.

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More: A Profile of Peter Ladd

Faculty Scholarship and Publications