On inhibition/disinhibition in developmental psychopathology: Views from cognitive and personality psychology and a working inhibition taxonomy

Disinhibition is a common focus in psychopathology research. However, use o f inhibition models often is piecemeal, Lacking an overarching taxonomy of inhibitory processes. The author organizes key concepts and models pertaini ng to different binds of inhibitory control from the cognitive and temperam ent/personality literatures. Within the rubrics of executive inhibitory pro cesses, motivational inhibitory processes, and automatic attentional inhibi tion processes, 8 kinds of inhibition are distinguished. Three basic temper ament traits may address key executive and motivational inhibitory processe s. Future developmental psychopathology research should be based on a syste matic conceptual taxonomy of the kinds of inhibitory function relevant to a given disorder. Such an approach can clarify which inhibition distinctions are correct and which inhibition deficits go with which disorders.