Identifying automatic thoughts worksheet

          Disqualifying the positive - You insist that your positive qualities or achievements “don’t really count”.

Example: ______________________________________________________________

 

          Mind reading - You assume that people perceive you in a negative light when there is no real evidence for this.

Example: ______________________________________________________________

 

          Fortune telling - You are sure that things will turn out bad, based on your instinct.

Example: ______________________________________________________________

 

          Using “should” statements - You criticize yourself or others by using words such as “should”/”shouldn’t”, “must” and “oughts”.

Example: ______________________________________________________________

 

          Labeling - You see your shortcomings as your identity, so instead of saying “I made a mistake”, you tell yourself “I am a loser, a fool” etc.

Example: ______________________________________________________________

          Catastrophic thinking - You imagine the worst possible thing could happen in a given situation even though there is no real evidence that this might happen.

Example: ______________________________________________________________

          Emotional Reasoning - You make judgements based on your emotions rather than evidence. For example, you might think someone is disappointed in you although there is no evidence for this.

Example: ______________________________________________________________

          Magnification and Minimization - You blow negative possibilities out of proportion and you minimize the importance of positive interactions or events.

Example: ______________________________________________________________

 

 

 

 

References

Beck, J. S. (1995). Cognitive therapy: Basics and beyond. New York: Guilford press.

Sease, T. B., Perkins, D. R., Sandoz, E. K., & Sudduth, H. (2021). Automatic thoughts: Understanding the precursors of self-concealment within the psychological flexibility framework. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 22, 68–73. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcbs.2021.09.008

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