A systematic review of the relationship between rigidity/flexibility and transdiagnostic cognitive and behavioral processes that maintain psychopathology

Morris, LE; Mansell, W

Abstract

An ever-growing number of transdiagnostic processes that maintain psychopathology across disorders
have been identified. However, such processes are not consistently associated with psychological distress
and symptoms. An understanding of what makes such processes pathological is required. One possibility
is that individual differences in rigidity in the implementation of these processes determine the degree of
psychopathology. The aim of this article is to examine the relationship between rigidity/flexibility and
transdiagnostic maintenance processes. Initial searches were made for research examining relationships
between 18 transdiagnostic processes and rigidity/flexibility. Relationships between rumination,
perfectionism, impulsivity and compulsivity, and rigidity/flexibility were systemically reviewed; 50
studies met inclusion criteria. The majority of studies indicated that transdiagnostic cognitive and
behavioral maintenance processes and rigidity were correlated, co-occurring, or predictive of each
other. Findings are consistent with the hypothesis that it is inflexibility in the manner in which
processes are employed that makes them pathologically problematic. However, further research is
required to test and establish this.

Citation

Morris, L., & Mansell, W. (2018). A systematic review of the relationship between rigidity/flexibility and transdiagnostic cognitive and behavioral processes that maintain psychopathology. Journal of Experimental Psychopathology, 9(3), 1-40. https://doi.org/10.1177/2043808718779431

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Online Publication Date: Jul 19, 2018
• Publication Date: Jul 1, 2018
• Deposit Date: Mar 15, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 15, 2019
• Journal: Journal of Experimental Psychopathology
• Print ISSN: 2043-8087
• Electronic ISSN: 2043-8087
• Publisher: Textrum
• Volume: 9
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 1-40
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/2043808718779431
• Publisher URL: https://doi.org/10.1177/2043808718779431