Ruminative thinking – repetitively fixating on symptoms of distress and the causes and consequences of these symptoms – is strongly implicated in the onset, persistence and severity of depressive symptoms (Just and Alloy, 1997; Nolen-Hoeksema and Morrow, 1991). However other, less evaluative, forms of self-focused thinking that involve active problem-solving aimed at understanding or overcoming one’s problems are generally considered less maladaptive. Consistent with this, research has indic...