Introduction: Behavioral activation therapy (BAT) is designed to help individuals’ approach and access sources of positive reinforcement in their life, which can serve a natural antidepressant function and efforts to help depressed people reengage in their life through focused activation strategies. Methods: In this study, 60 individuals were selected and randomly assigned to intervention and control groups. The intervention group received behavioral activation treatment, including eight treatment sessions and 5 weeks later, a follow-up study was conducted. The data were collected, using a Beck Depression Inventory-II and behavioral activation system (BIS)/ behavioral inhibition system (BAS) Carver and White questionnaires, before the intervention and after the intervention and five weeks after the intervention. SPSS 23 and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used for data analysis. Results: Results showed a significant increase in the two components of the BAS including reward seeking and response to reward in the intervention group, which indicates an increase in positive affect and appetitive motivation for reward seeking and decreases the risk of depression. Also, the results showed a significant decrease in the BIS and depression in the intervention group, which indicates a decline in experiencing negative emotions. Conclusion: The implementation of BAT will cause depressed people to try to maximize future rewards and it’s effective in improving the reward seeking and reward response in depressed people because this treatment will increase the positive reinforcement and lead to learning cues that predict possible rewards in environments.

Background: The present study aimed to determine the relationship of anxious attachment style with catastrophizing, fear of pain, and hypervigilance. Methods: The study sample consisted of 210 students at Tabriz University, Iran, with recent acute pain or the lack of pain experience selected by the convenience sampling method. The subjects responded to the Relationship Scales Questionnaire, Pain Catastrophizing Scale, Fear of Pain Questionnaire, and Pain Vigilance and Awareness Questionnaire. Data were analyzed by Pearson’s correlation coefficient and structural equation modeling. Results: The findings indicated a significant positive relationship between the subscale of anxious attachment and the variables of catastrophizing, fear of pain, and vigilance to pain, as well as a relationship among the variables. Moreover, the modeling showed a structural relationship between anxious attachment and studied variables. Conclusions: Anxious attachment style acts as a vulnerability factor and a predictor of chronic pain in individuals without pain experience. It means that facing catastrophic pain in people with anxious attachment styles can lead to the fear of pain and hypervigilance.

Background. The level of activity of behavioral brain systems is one of the effective factors in the occurrence or persistence psychopathic behaviors. Therefore, the aim of this study was to structurally model primary and secondary psychopathic disorder based on behavioral brain systems. Methods. This research is applied in terms of purpose and descriptive in terms of correlational research method. The statistical population of this study includes all medical students of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. A total of 284 subjects were selected as a sample by convenience sampling method and they performed Lonson, Kiel and Fetispatrick Psychopathy Scale and the Carver and White Brain-Behavioral Systems Scale. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficient and structural equation modelling with SPSS software version 24 and LISREL version 8.80. Results. The results showed that the behavioral activation system has a positive and significant relationship with primary and secondary psychopathy and the behavioral inhibition system has a negative and significant relationship with primary and secondary psychopathy (P <0.01). The results of structural equation model showed that behavioral activator system and behavioral inhibition system have an effective role on primary and secondary psychopathy (P <0.01). Also, the results of structural equation model showed acceptable model (2/df= 2.50, RMSEA= 0.075, CFI= 0.96, NFI= 0.94, GFI= 0.94). Conclusion. According to the function of activating systems and behavioral inhibition, pathological personality traits can be oriented or corrected before the formation and stabilization of these traits.

Background. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of the self-silencing model in reducing depression and increasing self-expression of depressed women. The self-silencing model is influenced by cognitive, attachment, and gestalt theories, and the role of social and cultural factors is emphasized in it, and these factors lead to depression in women by creating obstacles in expressing their wishes, opinions, and desires. Methods. This was a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test and post-test design with a control group and with random replacement. In this study, using the study of treatment protocols, as well as receiving guidance from the theorists of this model and their colleagues, intervention programs based on it were prepared. The sample of this study included 30 femle teachers from 20 to 40 years old with bachelor's degrees who had depressive symptoms based on the results of The Beck questionnaire and clinical interview. Thus, the research sample included the self-silencing group and the control group, which were obtained from each pre-test and post-test group using the self-expression questionnaire and The Beck questionnaire. Between pre-test and post-test, experimental group received an intervention program. Finally, the scores obtained from pre-test and post-test were analyzed by analysis of covariance using SPSS software. Results. The results of data analysis showed that the intervention based on self-silencing is effective in reducing the depression of the experimental group. Likewise, this intervention method increased self-expression in the experimental group. No significant change was observed in the control group. Conclusion. According to the findings of this research, it can be said that using the self-silencing model can be an efficient method in reducing women's depression symptoms and increasing self-expression in them. Practical Implications. Psychotherapists can use the self-silencing model as one of the effective methods to reduce the symptoms of depression.