Cautionary notes from the viewpoint of theory construction on the use of psychological network approaches: A reply to Matsumoto (2020)

Abstract

The psychological network approach introduced by Kashihara (2019) had the potential to promote tailored therapies for mental disorders, and a cutting-edge commentary by Matsumoto (2020) provided suggestions for future research to integrate cognitive experimental data into psychological network analyses. In response to Matsumoto (2020), this paper reveals that researchers using psychological network approaches should consider the processes of theory construction, including feedback loops between theories, phenomena, and data. First, this paper introduces the status of theory crisis in current psychological science. Second, it discusses that the psychological network approach has been developed to overcome the limitations of latent variable approaches of psychopathology and that it sequentially updates the understanding of psychopathologies by examining the correspondence between network theories, phenomena of mental disorders, and empirical symptom data. Third, this paper responds to the main suggestions provided by Matsumoto (2020) to enhance the sound development of the psychological network approach in the field of psychopathology. Every response emphasizes that psychological network analyses should be used according to theories and phenomena.