This tutorial has six sections:
(1) An introduction to cognitive reappraisal (this page)
(2) Common cognitive biases or distortions
(3) The Cognitive Reappraisal Worksheet
(4) Identifying thoughts and beliefs
(5) Evaluating and modifying thoughts and beliefs
(6) Learning more about cognitive reappraisal
An introduction to cognitive reappraisal
Cognitive reappraisal is one of the primary methods in Cognitive Therapy. The word “cognitive” is synonymous with thinking. In Cognitive Therapy, cognitions include the thoughts you have about your situation, as well as enduring beliefs you have about yourself, other people, and the world that have been influenced by your life experiences.
Cognitive reappraisal is a process and a skill that involves reappraising your thoughts and beliefs in terms of their usefulness and/or accuracy, and if warranted, modifying these thoughts and beliefs and/or the impact they have on you. Ultimately, it results in learning how to think in a way that is less prone to creating unnecessary suffering and self-defeating behavior.
Cognitive therapy holds that how we think and what we believe influences how we feel and behave. This works well when we are thinking reasonably accurately and in a way that leads to functional behavior. However, our lives suffer when we come to habitually think in negatively biased ways that are inaccurate and/or not helpful.
The cognitions that influence how we feel and behave are often one or more of the following four types:
Expectations that we hold for ourselves and others;
Interpretations regarding what is happening;
Predictions about what might happen in the future; and
Evaluations regarding ourselves, others, or our situation.
Unnecessary suffering and counterproductive behavior tends to occur when:
The expectations that we hold for ourselves and others are unrealistic;
The interpretations we make of events are inaccurate;
The predictions that we make of the future are unrealistic; and/or
The evaluations we make of ourselves, others, or the situation are inaccurate or unfair.
Problems with depression and excessive anxiety are often maintained by negatively biased thoughts or beliefs. People with depression often interpret events in an overly negative light, think in a pessimistic way about the future, and evaluate themselves in ways that are excessively harsh. People who struggle with anxiety tend to overestimate the likelihood of bad things happening and underestimate their own abilities to handle difficult events.
The remainder of this tutorial on cognitive restructuring will focus on four topics:
(1) Learning about common cognitive biases or distortions;
(2) The Cognitive Reappraisal Worksheet;
(3) Learning how to observe and identify the thoughts and beliefs that influence how you feel and behave; and
(4) Learning how to evaluate and modify your thoughts and beliefs and/or the impact they have on you.
Continue on to Part 2 of this tutorial, learning about common cognitive biases or distortions.