- Describe psychoanalysis as a treatment approach
- Describe cognitive and cognitive-behavioral therapy as treatment methods
- Explain the basic process and uses of behavior therapy
- Describe systematic desensitization
- Polarized thinking: This is a distortion where people think in extremes, disregarding possible facts in a situation, and seeing things as either black or white, good or bad.
- Overgeneralization: When a person extrapolates a single negative event to predict a pattern of endless defeat.
- Catastrophizing: This involves assuming the worst-case scenario will happen, often amplifying ordinary worries disproportionately.
- Personalization: This refers to taking things personally that aren’t actually connected to or caused by the person in question, and can lead to self-blame and heightened anxiety.
- Mind reading: This is the assumption that you know what others are thinking, often presuming negative thoughts about yourself.
- Mental filtering: This distortion involves focusing exclusively on the negative aspects and ignoring the positive ones.
- Discounting the positive: Similar to mental filtering, this distortion involves disregarding or trivializing positive events or achievements, often attributing them to luck or anomalies.
- “Should” statements: This involves applying rigid expectations or pressures on oneself, often based on internalized cultural or societal standards.
- Emotional reasoning: This is the belief that your emotions are a reliable indicator of reality, essentially equating feelings with facts.
- Labeling: This involves categorizing oneself or others based on a single event or behavior, usually in a negative manner.
You can view the transcript for “How Does Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Work?” here (opens in new window).