During the past 25 years, the study of nonverbal behaviour has become a significant subarea of psychology. Employing a variety of approaches and encompassing numerous perspectives, researchers have made important theoretical and empirical strides in discovering the origins, functions, and consequences of nonverbal behaviour. This research has clearly shown that nonverbal behaviour plays a far greater role than merely reflecting emotional experience - it also plays a central role in psychological adaptation.

This volume presents, in an integrated framework, contemporary perspectives on the role of nonverbal behaviour in psychological regulation, adaptation, and psychopathology, and includes both empirical and theoretical research that is central to our understanding of the reciprocal influences between nonverbal behaviour, psychopathology, and therapeutic processes. It has several objectives: One is to present fundamental theories and data relevant to researchers and clinicians working in such fields as psychopathology and psychotherapy. Another objective is to link contributions of basic research to clinical applications. Finally, the volume gathers contributions in different sub-fields that are rarely presented jointly, such as brain damage and non-verbal skills.