Pathways into psychopathology: Modeling the effects of trait emotional intelligence, mindfulness, and irrational beliefs in a clinical sample.

Self-perception constructs concerning one's beliefs about oneself have a major impact on the likelihood of developing psychopathological symptoms. Emotional perceptions captured by trait emotional intelligence were stronger predictors of psychopathology than either or both mindfulness and irrational beliefs in a clinical sample of adults. If the seed factors of psychopathology are mainly psychological, rather than mainly biological, and given that psychological constructs, like trait emotional intelligence, mindfulness, and irrational beliefs, are amenable to training and optimization, the findings herein provide the impetus for a much needed shift of emphasis from pharmacological to psychological treatments.