Hey thanks for clarifying that. So, if our working definition of 'low self esteem' is a lack of agency, low self efficacy, external locus of control, I'm not satisfied with Braden's description (or, I suppose more accurately, your summary of Braden's description -- I've not read his work, so I'm going solely off your post). In my opinion, thinking without "exert[ing] any effort into cognitively processing our experience" sounds like it would be more suggestive of impulsivity -- "act first, ask questions later(if at all)". I'm likely missing something here. The way I think about low efficacy, low agency, exterior locus of control (within the context of stuttering) can stem from "overthinking." To pull in some of Braden's terminology: low "self esteem" might stem from not recognizing where my thinking ends and reality begins (rather than not engaging reality). (e.g., catastrophizing situations in such a way that the individual is caught between the fight or flight response -- thus nothing happens, and it gets interpreted as avoidance, or laziness) Does that make sense? I can totally see an "over thinking" schema applying to a lot of the cognitive features of stuttering. edit: grammar