Better Safe Than Sorry: A Common Signature of General Vulnerability for Psychopathology

Abstract

Several labels, such as neuroticism, negative emotionality, and dispositional negativity, indicate a broad dimension of psychopathology. However, largely separate, often disorder-specific research lines have developed that focus on different cognitive and affective characteristics that are associated with this dimension, such as perseverative cognition (worry, rumination), reduced autobiographical memory specificity, compromised fear learning, and enhanced somatic-symptom reporting. In this article, we present a theoretical perspective within a predictive-processing framework in which we trace these phenotypically different characteristics back to a common underlying “better-safe-than-sorry” processing strategy. This implies information processing that tends to be low in sensory-perceptual detail, which allows threat-related categorical priors to dominate conscious experience and for chronic uncertainty/surprise because of a stagnated error-reduction process. This common information-processing strategy has beneficial effects in the short term but important costs in the long term. From this perspective, we suggest that the phenomenally distinct cognitive and affective psychopathological characteristics mentioned above represent the same basic processing heuristic of the brain and are only different in relation to the particular type of information involved (e.g., in working memory, in autobiographical memory, in the external and internal world). Clinical implications of this view are discussed.

An ecological approach to personality: Psychological traits as drivers and consequences of active perception

“…In referring to “Anxiousness,” we describe the broad literature on individuals' tendency to perceive heightened risk in an ambiguously threatening environment (for an overview of commonalities in these traits, see Van den Bergh et al., 2020). This broad trait dimension reflects traits such as Neuroticism (McCrae & Costa, 1987), Emotional Stability (in HEXACO; Ashton & Lee, 2009, and 16PF; Cattell, 1973), the Behavioral Inhibition System (Corr, 2004), and Negative Emotionality (Tellegen, 1985).…”

“…As noted above, it is common to many personality models to have a trait describing sensitivity to potential risk in the environment as something distinct to Approach, such as Neuroticism, Emotional Stability, Behavioral Inhibition Systems, or Negative Emotionality. Many of these traits can be seen as being part of a broader “better safe than sorry”, risk‐averse, orientation toward the world (see Van den Bergh et al., 2020). Anxiousness traits shape perception and can be studied through cross‐species observation, much like with the examples described in Approach traits above.…”

“…Here, we focus on how Anxiousness traits maintain perceptual‐poverty loops and niche construction in the ecological framework. It is important to note that whilst Anxiousness traits play a role in risk for psychopathology (Van den Bergh et al., 2020) and high anxiety is often considered maladaptive, there are benefits to this trait as well. The expression of the Anxiousness traits can be functional, such as encouraging more public‐health compliant behavior in a global pandemic (Harper et al., 2020) or how those who are higher on Anxiousness traits have lower mortality due to accidents in longitudinal research (Lee et al., 2006).…”

Optimizing Long-term Outcomes of Exposure for Chronic Primary Pain from the Lens of Learning Theory

“…These suggestions, however, are still speculative, and need to be rigorously evaluated in the field of pain before their clinical application. Despite the parallels that can be drawn between pain and anxiety disorders as regards the mechanisms that give rise to and maintain disability (e.g., compromised learning 42,78,112 ), each condition is also characterized by unique elements. Although in anxiety disorders the fear-inducing beliefs may often be exaggerated (e.g., fear of crowded places in agoraphobia), pain is essentially a biologically hardwired signal of threat, conveying urgency and yielding protective actions even when it does not necessarily correspond to bodily harm, and/ or when it becomes chronic 16 .…”

A Theoretical Model Explaining the Development and Maintenance of Clinical Burnout

“…In daily life, most prolonged physiological activity is not due to stressful events but to perseverative cognition about them. Since we are basically capable of worrying and ruminating about anything at any time, and since worry is controlled by the principle of "better safe than sorry" [96], the total time of worry/rumination and accompanied physiological stress responses can be highly frequent and long lasting and be an obstacle to recovery [97]. Worry/rumination in terms of "persistent thoughts about work" predicts disturbed sleep [41] and daily worry predicts low heart rate variability (indicating stress activation) during subsequent nocturnal sleep [98], which is particularly problematic since good sleep is crucial for recovery from daily strain [41,98] and burnout [46,99].…”