Rumination

1. Rumination is a way of responding to distress that involves repetitively focusing on the symptoms of distress, and on its possible causes and consequences.[1] Rumination is more common in people who are pessimistic, neurotic, and who have negative attributional styles. The tendency to ruminate is a stable constant over time and serves as a significant risk factor for clinical depression. Not only are habitual ruminators more likely to become depressed, but experimental studies have demonstrated that people who are induced to ruminate experience greater depressed mood.[2] There is also evidence that rumination is linked to general anxiety, post traumatic stress, binge drinking, eating disorders, and self-injurious behavior.[1] (Wikipedia 3/9/12)
2. Research on rumination also suggests that maladaptive anger regulation decreases self-control and, consequently, increases aggression." ( Current Directions in Psychological Science February 2012 vol. 21 no. 120-25, 3/8/12)