Which of the following cognitive factors is most commonly associated with hoarding behavior?

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

An exaggerated sense of responsibility for possessions and a need to maintain control over them is a central cognitive factor in hoarding.

Relevant knowledge points and concepts:
- DSM-5 diagnostic language for hoarding disorder highlights a persistent difficulty discarding possessions, typically stemming from a perceived need to save items and distress associated with discarding. 
- Cognitive–behavioral models identify maladaptive beliefs (overvaluation of possessions, extreme responsibility for keeping items safe, intolerance of uncertainty, and need for control) and information-processing problems (indecision, perfectionism, avoidance) as drivers of hoarding behavior.
- Treatment (CBT for hoarding) therefore targets beliefs about responsibility and control as core maintaining factors.

Step-by-step reasoning:
1. Compare each option against the core cognitive features described above. The DSM-5 and empirical work emphasize a “need to save” driven by beliefs of responsibility and control over items.  
2. Option D (“A sense of responsibility over possessions and a need to maintain control over them.”) maps directly onto those well-documented maladaptive beliefs and explains why discarding triggers distress and avoidance.  
3. Option A (strong sentimental value) is a real contributor—many hoarders report sentimental attachment—but it is a specific type of valuation rather than the broader cognitive mechanism (responsibility/control) that most consistently predicts difficulty discarding and treatment targets.  
4. Option B (value only when shared) is inconsistent with hoarding, which involves retention rather than seeking to share.  
5. Option C (discarding without concern) is the opposite of hoarding and therefore incompatible.

Why the correct answer is correct:
Beliefs of responsibility and need for control produce excessive anxiety about losing important items, making discarding intolerable and leading to accumulation. These beliefs are central in diagnostic criteria and are primary targets in evidence-based interventions, indicating their primary role.

Why other options are incorrect (briefly):
- Sentimental value (A) can contribute but is secondary to broader responsibility/control beliefs.  
- Shared-value (B) does not characterize hoarding.  
- Discarding without concern (C) contradicts the disorder.

Conclusion: The correct answer is “A sense of responsibility over possessions and a need to maintain control over them,” which matches the provided answer.

Which of the following cognitive factors is most commonly associated with hoarding behavior?单项选择题

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