Professional Documents
Culture Documents
18, 1921
Young Aaron developed a near fatal
illness following an infection of a broken
arm, which led him to be anxious and to
believe that he was inept and stupid
Later, his theory and therapy would help
others to overcome the types of negative
beliefs that he himself experienced
He graduated from Brown University
magna cum laude in 1943
Cognitive Distortion
Definition
Example
Arbitrary Inference
Drawing a specific
conclusion without
supporting evidence or
even in the face of
contradictory
evidence. It involves
Catastrophizing, or
thinking of the absolute
worst case scenario
Selective Abstraction
Conceptualizing a
situation on the basis of
detail taken out of
context and ignoring
all other possible
explanations. The
assumption is that the
events that matter are
those dealing with
failure and deprivation
An individual who is
nervous about getting
into an accident while
driving will zero in on all
the reports about traffic
accidents while
listening to the morning
news, reconfirming the
belief that driving is a
dangerous activity
Cognitive Distortion
Definition
Example
Overgeneralization
A process of holding
extreme beliefs on the
basis of a single incident
and applying them
inappropriately to
dissimilar events or
settings
Hearing about a
robbery in the city leads
one to conclude that
everyone is being
robbed
Magnification and
Minimization
Seeing an event as
more significant or less
significant than actually
is
Personalization
A tendency for
individuals to relate
external events to
themselves, even when
there is no basis for
making this connection
Cognitive Distortion
Definition
Example
Labeling and
Mislabeling
Attributing a person's
actions to their
character instead of
some accidental
attribute. Rather than
assuming the behavior
to be accidental or
extrinsic, the person
assigns a label to
someone or something
that implies the
character of that person
or thing. Mislabeling
involves describing an
event with language
that has a
strong connotation of a
Cognitive Distortion
Definition
Example
Dichotomous Thinking
Involves categorizing
experiences in either-or
extremes. With such
polarized thinking,
events are labeled in
black or white terms
Beck
The
Cognitive
Behavior
Modific ation
b y
D onald
Meic henb aum
DIFFERENCE
o REBT is more direct and confrontational in
uncovering irrational thoughts;
Meinchenbaums self-instruction
training focuses more on helping clients
become
aware of their self-talk.
ROLE-PLAY
Together, the therapist and client practice
self-instructions and the desirable
behaviors in role-play situations that
simulate problem situation in the clients
daily life.
COGNITIVE STRUCTURE
o The organizing aspect of thinking, which
seems to monitor and direct the choice of
thoughts
o Implies an executive processor, which
holds the blueprints of thinking that
determine when to continue, interrupt, or
change thinking.
Selfobservation
Starting a
new
internal
dialogue
Learning
new skills
e.g.:
If depressed clients hope to make
constructive changes, they must first
realize that they are not victims of
negative thoughts and feelings. Rather,
they are actually contributing to their
depression through the things they tell
themselves.
INTERNAL DIALOGUE
Clients learn to change their internal
dialogue through therapy. This new
internal dialogue serves as a new guide
to new behavior, thereby impacting the
clients cognitive structure.
Consists of a
combination of
information of the
following:
information-giving
Socratic discussion
cognitive restructuring
problem solving
Relaxation training
behavioral rehearsals
self-monitoring
self-instruction
self-reinforcement; and
modifying environmental situations
1. Conceptualeducational
phase
2. Skills
acquisition,
consolidation,
and rehearsal
phase
3. Application
and followthrough phase
OPEN-ENDED DIARY
Clients typically keep an open-ended
diary in which they systematically
record their specific thoughts, feelings,
and behaviors
Clients need to practice new selfstatements and apply their new skills
in real-life situations
Once clients have become proficient in
cognitive and behavioral coping skills,
they practice behavioral assignments,
which become increasingly demanding
Assumption
Task
Characteristics