Cognition and Emotion: the scientific use of worry term

Research on normal and pathological worry has increased considerably in the last twenty years, and it seems promising for the study of the intriguing relationship between thought and emotion and for the understanding several disorders characterized by worry. However, some authors have criticized the scientific use of the term worry. For someone, worry and anxiety are synonymous. For others, worry is the cognitive component of anxiety, or at least a cognitive component of anxiety. In this work, we discuss this controversy and we analyze the multidimensional solution. A historical point of view and recent empiric and experimental data are addressed. Results are discussed against identification between worry and anxiety, and a cognitive use of the term worry is proposed.