This article uses Letters from the Future (a health promotion instrument) to explore the human capacity of imagining the future. From a narrative perspective, letters from the future are considered to be indicative of a variety of forms through which human beings construct and understand their future selves and worlds. This is consistent with an interpretive approach to understanding the human mind, which offers an alternative for the current dominant causal-explanatory approach in psychology. On the basis of qualitative analysis of 480 letters from the future, collected online from a diverse group of Dutch and German persons, we first identified five narrative processes operating in the letters: imagining, evaluating, orienting, expressing emotions and engaging in dialogue. Second, using comparative analysis, we identified six types of how these processes are organized in the letters as a whole. These types differ regarding functionality (which of the five processes was dominant); temporality (prospective, retrospective and present-oriented); the extent to which a path between present and future was described; and the vividness of the imagination. We suggest that these types can be used in narrative health practice as 'pathways' to locate where letter writers are on their path to imagine the future, rather than as a normative taxonomy. Future research should focus on how these pathways can be used to navigate to health and well-being.

Magda B. Arnold's phenomenological and cognitive theory on emotions is subjected to a critical review. The theory is well-known and has inspired other theorists in the field of emotion research. However, it has generated hardly any research. At first sight this is astonishing because of its obvious qualities. Arnold does justice to the subjective nature of emotions, integrates psychological with physiological aspects, and offers a relatively simple and parsimonious theoretical model. Salient points are the conceptualization of emotions as action-tendencies, the role of appraisal in generating emotions and in emotional action, the classification of basic emotions, the explanation of increase of strength in emotions, and their organizing function or disturbing effects. A closer look into the theory, however, shows serious flaws in logical consistency and difficulties for operationalization. The authors conclude that the lack of research is partly due to the theory.

Wie l?sst sich narratives Futuring (?Vorstellen der Zukunft?) als psychotherapeutisches Werkzeug einsetzen, um damit die Resilienz zu steigern? Dieser Frage gehen die Autoren des folgenden Beitrags nach. Gest?tzt auf nomothetisch-psychologische Theorie und Forschung, er?rtern sie zun?chst die Beziehung zwischen Futuring und Resilienz. Im Anschluss gehen sie auf das narrative Futuring und seine M?glichkeiten f?r den therapeutischen Prozess ein.

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