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29/04/2019 Automatic Thoughts and Schemata - Psychology Basics

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Automatic Thoughts and Schemata


Tue, 24 Apr 2018 | Psychology Basics

Two concepts of particular relevance to cognitive therapy are the concepts of


automatic thoughts and schemata. Automatic thoughts are thoughts that appear
to be going on all the time. These thoughts are quite brief—only the essential
words in a sentence seem to occur, as in a telegraphic style. Further, they seem
to be autonomous, in that the person made no effort to initiate them, and they
seem plausible or reasonable to the person (although they may seem far-
fetched to somebody else). Thus, as a depressed person is giving a talk to a
group of business colleagues, he or she will have a variety of thoughts. There
will be thoughts about the content of the material. There is also a second
stream of thoughts occurring. In this second channel, the person may
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experience such thoughts as: "This is a waste of time," or "They think I'm
dumb." These are automatic thoughts.
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Beck has suggested that although automatic thoughts are occurring all the time,
the person is likely to overlook these thoughts when asked what he or she is Reviews
thinking. Thus, it is necessary to train the person to attend to these automatic Develop Charisma Become More
thoughts. Beck pointed out that when people are depressed, these automatic Complete Recovery from Anxiety
thoughts are filled with negative thoughts of the self, the world, and the Best Weight Loss Programs That Work

future. Further, these automatic thoughts are quite distorted, and finally, when
these thoughts are carefully examined and modified to be more in keeping with
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reality, the depression subsides.
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The concept of schemata, or core beliefs , becomes critical in understanding Closed reduction casting
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why some people are prone to having emotional difficulties and others are not.
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The schema appears to be the root from which the automatic thoughts derive. Comparative Modeling Protein
Beck suggests that people develop a propensity to think crookedly as a result of Preparation operating table
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early life experiences. He theorizes that in early life, an individual forms
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concepts—realistic as well as unrealistic—from experiences. Of particular GABA metabolism Brain Research
importance are individuals' attitudes toward themselves, their environment, and Plaster bandage application d
their future. These deeply held core beliefs about oneself are seen by Beck as Preventing proteolysis by
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critical in the causation of emotional disorders. According to cognitive theory ,
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the reason these early beliefs are so critical is that once they are formed, the Example Environmental Risk
person has a tendency to distort or view subsequent experiences to be
consistent with these core beliefs. Thus, an individual who, as a child, was Categories
subjected to severe, unprovoked punishment from a disturbed parent may Prostate Cancer
conclude "I am weak" or "I am inferior." Once this conclusion has been Haemolytic Anaemia
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formulated, it would appear to be strongly reinforced over years and years of
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experiences at the hands of the parent. Thus, when this individual becomes an Etiology
adult, he or she tends to interpret even normal frustrations as more proof of the Microevolutionary Theory
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original belief: "See, I really am inferior." Examples of these negative schemata
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or core beliefs are "I am inferior," "I am unlovable," and "I cannot do anything Prodrugs
right." People holding such core beliefs about themselves would differ strongly in Proteolytic Enzymes

their views of a frustrating experience from those people who hold a core belief Proteolytic Enzymes
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such as "I am capable."
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Another major contribution of cognitive therapy is Beck's cognitive specificity
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hypothesis. Specifically, Beck has suggested that each of the emotional
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disorders is characterized by its own patterns of thinking. In the case of Emission Tomography
depression, the thought content is concerned with ideas of personal deficiency, Proteoglycan
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impossible environmental demands and obstacles, and nihilistic expectations.
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For example, a depressed patient might interpret a frustrating situation, such as Opthalmology
a malfunctioning automobile, as evidence of his or her own inadequacy: "If I Preterm Birth
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29/04/2019 Automatic Thoughts and Schemata - Psychology Basics

were really competent, I would have anticipated this problem and been able to Psychology Basics
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avoid it." Additionally, the depressed patient might react to the malfunctioning
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automobile with "This is too much, I cannot take it anymore." To the depressed Resonance Energy
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