Chapitre D'ouvrage Année : 2025

The drive to escape: Uncovering the motivational dynamics of suicide-related cognitive accessibility in everyday life

Résumé

Anecdotal evidence suggests that self-destructive thoughts may be much more common than is typically acknowledged in everyday life, even among individuals who are not at immediate risk for suicide. The Cognitive Accessibility of Suicide (CAS) model outlines the motivational mechanisms that increase the cognitive accessibility of suicide-related thoughts in the general population. It posits that experiences of failure motivate individuals to avoid self-awareness, which, in turn, heightens the accessibility of suicide-related thoughts through spreading activation between goals and the means to achieve them. Several contextual and dispositional moderators, likely to strengthen the link between failure and the motivation to avoid self-awareness, are considered, alongside relevant empirical findings. Given that the mere cognitive accessibility of suicide-related thoughts does not, in itself, constitute a risk for suicide, the potential functions of increased accessibility are explored. One possible function is emotion regulation, while another is signaling distress, thereby triggering responses that often prevent suicide. Theoretical implications for future research are discussed, as well as practical implications for interventions that could reduce suicide-related thought accessibility. Finally, we emphasize that studying the cognitive accessibility of suicide-related thoughts, which is common and mundane in itself, lends itself well to experimental research. We therefore advocate for further studies in this area.

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Dates et versions

hal-05442184 , version 1 (03-04-2026)

Identifiants

Citer

Leila Selimbegović, Armand Chatard. The drive to escape: Uncovering the motivational dynamics of suicide-related cognitive accessibility in everyday life. Advances in Motivation Science, 12, Elsevier, pp.83-126, 2025, Advances in Motivation Science, ⟨10.1016/bs.adms.2024.12.001⟩. ⟨hal-05442184⟩
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