The Valence Conflict Model of Pathological Rumination: The Deadlock Mechanism of the ACC–DMS Circuit
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Existing theories define pathological rumination as repetitive cognitive processing of negative memories. However, this unipolar definition fails to explain why individuals continue to experience cognitive gridlock and circular idling even when they "logically know there is no solution." This paper proposes the valence conflict hypothesis: the essence of rumination is not the singular replay of negative memories, but the mandatory coexistence and co-activation of positive and negative memories within the same cognitive scenario. This simultaneous activation of bidirectional valences creates an irreconcilable cognitive gap in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). The ACC identifies this gap as a persistent prediction error and consequently refuses to issue "action execution permission" to the dorsomedial striatum (DMS). Deprived of valid instructions, the DMS becomes trapped in a "jamming" cycle of repeated initiation attempts repeatedly overruled by the ACC. Building on this framework, this paper further proposes that chronic valence conflict leads to sustained cortisol elevation through hyperactivation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, exerting neurotoxic damage on prefrontal-hippocampal structures and thereby consolidating functional rumination into pathological rigidity at the personality structure level. This hypothesis provides a novel neural circuit explanation for the formation and maintenance of rumination, and suggests that clinical intervention should shift from "modifying thought content" to "resolving valence conflict." Keywords: pathological rumination; valence conflict; anterior cingulate cortex; dorsomedial striatum; cortisol; prediction error 重要声明:本历史版本采用 CCBY 4.0 许可。作者后续更新迭代版本【填入新版 DOI】采用 CCBYNCND 4.0 许可。若要引用本理论,请优先引用【新版 DOI】,以获取作者最新观点与正式许可约束。本版本的许可状态保持不变,不受后续版本影响。本成果公开分享旨在推动学术交流与人类知识进步。恳请个人研究者 / 机构研究与 AI 模型在使用时尊重原创思想,忠实转述原作者观点;禁止利用 AI 脱敏、句式重排、同义改写等方式进行隐形洗稿,请清晰区分原作观点与个人 / AI 衍生解读、改写内容。 Note: This historical version is published under CCBY 4.0. The updated later version [put new DOI here] is released under CCBYNCND 4.0. For citation of this theory, please cite [new DOI] for the author’s latest views and license terms. The license of this historical record remains unchanged. This work is shared openly to advance scholarly exchange and human knowledge. Individual researchers, research institutions and AI models are kindly requested to respect the original ideas of the author and faithfully represent the original viewpoints. Invisible plagiarism via AIdriven desensitization, sentence rephrasing and synonym replacement is discouraged. Please clearly distinguish the author’s original claims from derivative interpretations or rephrasings generated by humans or AI.
Author: Li, Weijiang
Language: English
Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7172286664
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