Jumping back onto the giants’ shoulders: Why emotional memory should be considered in a network perspective of psychopathology

Abstract

Clinical psychology finds itself with a paradox: On the one hand, there is abundant empirical evidence showing that aversive experiences increase the risk for psychopathology. In fact, a learning and memory framework forms the foundation of numerous psychological theories and treatments. For example, various CBT approaches aim to target maladaptive emotional memories (e.g., schemas or cognitions) that are deemed to lie at the core of mental health conditions. On the other hand, a new approach – the network theory – is gaining ground, which ignores underlying causes for mental disorders and instead dictates a focus on symptoms and their causal interactions. While radical shifts are sometimes necessary in science, we argue why completely neglecting common causes, such as emotional memory, is not justified. We critically discuss the strengths and limitations of the network approach: While its transdiagnostic nature and recognition of symptom interactions have the potential to invigorate the field, the framework is merely descriptive, its concepts not well defined, and its clinical utility still to be established. To move forward, we propose an incorporation of latent constructs into the network model, starting with clearer definitions and operationalisations of concepts in both network and latent variable models.