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Attachment and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders: the Role of Cognitive Processing and Self-esteem

Yiran Wang

Abstract


Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a common type of anxiety disorder, but the pathological mechanisms remain vague. Previous studies found the relationship between attachment and OCD, suggesting the need to explore more about the internal pathways of attachment influencing the onset of OCD. The paper aims to discuss the potential mechanisms, including the biased cognitive processing and low self-esteem. Since the internal working model, related to attachment styles, infl uences the way individuals perceive themselves and the world, insecure attached people tend to have negative cognitive processing and self-esteem, and these can be the risk factor of OCD. However, there lacks research directly measuring the role of cognitive processing and self-esteem in the influence of attachment on OCD. The paper highlights the importance of future study of the potential mechanisms, and suggests future empirical studies to explore the role of cognitive processing and self-esteem as potential mechanisms.

Keywords


Attachment; Obsessive-compulsive disorder; Cognitive processing; Self-esteem

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References


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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.18686/ahe.v7i19.9391

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