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World J Psychiatry. Sep 19, 2026; 16(9): 119718
Published online Sep 19, 2026. doi: 10.5498/wjp.119718
Published online Sep 19, 2026. doi: 10.5498/wjp.119718
Motivation as developmental coordination: The generative arc as a heuristic framework for psychopathology
Arif De Mendelssohn, Postgraduate Program of Psychotherapy Research, Medical University Vienna, Vienna 1090, Wien, Austria
Jürgen Fuchshuber, Department of Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy, Postgraduate Program of Psychotherapy Research, Medical University Vienna, Vienna 1090, Wien, Austria
Henriette Löffler-Stastka, Department of Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy, Postgraduate Unit, Medical University Vienna, Vienna 1090, Wien, Austria
Author contributions: De Mendelssohn A conceived the article and drafted the manuscript; Fuchshuber J contributed critical theoretical revisions; Löffler-Stastka H contributed critical revision and clinical integration; all authors read and approved the final manuscript.
AI contribution statement: ChatGPT (OpenAI, 2025-2026) was used to assist with drafting, restructuring, and language refinement under direct human supervision. All literature selection, interpretation, synthesis, and verification were performed by the authors, who retain full responsibility for the final manuscript. Additionally, the AI generated the initial SVG code for both figures based on the authors’ prompts, which the lead author subsequently refined manually using Inkscape 1.4.2 (f4327f4, 2025-05-13). All generated images were carefully reviewed, modified where necessary, and approved by the authors. The authors assume full responsibility for the authenticity, accuracy, copyright compliance, and scientific integrity of all final figures and graphical materials.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare no conflict of interest in publishing the manuscript.
Corresponding author: Henriette Löffler-Stastka, MD, PhD, Dean, Director, Professor, Department of Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy, Postgraduate Unit, Medical University Vienna, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, Vienna 1090, Wien, Austria.
Received: February 4, 2026
Revised: March 9, 2026
Accepted: May 27, 2026
Published online: September 19, 2026
Processing time: 201 Days and 20.6 Hours
Revised: March 9, 2026
Accepted: May 27, 2026
Published online: September 19, 2026
Processing time: 201 Days and 20.6 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Motivational difficulties in psychiatry often reflect how motivation is organized over time rather than the specific content of beliefs or emotions. The generative arc offers a developmentally informed, transdiagnostic heuristic that may help clinicians and researchers think more clearly about rigidity, volatility, and treatment resistance without proposing new diagnoses or mechanisms.