Negative Automatic Thoughts That Impair Productivity (& Well-Being)
All or Nothing Thinking (Dichotomous Reasoning): A tendency to see things in terms of polarized categories. People are either
good or bad, successes or failures. “I get rejected by everyone” or “It was a complete waste of time.”
Arbitrary Inference (Jumping to Conclusions): Conclusions are reached on the basis of incomplete evidence. “The boss is calling
me into her office. I am going to get fired!”
Catastrophizing: You believe that what has happened or will happen will be so awful and un-bearable that you won’t be able to stand
it. “It would be terrible if I don’t get the promotion. It will be the end of the world!”
Discounting Positives: You claim that the positive things you or others do are trivial. “That’s what employees are supposed to do –
there is nothing special about what I did” or “Those successes were easy. Anybody could have done it, so that doesn’t matter.”
Fortunetelling: You predict the future negatively. Things will get worse, or there is danger ahead. “I won’t get the job.”
Labeling: You assign global negative traits to yourself and others. “I’m horrible” or “He’s a rotten person.”
Magnification/Minimization: The negative aspects of a situation are magnified while the positives are minimized. “I got rated a 4 out
5 on the outcome measure (even though I got 5’s on all other dimensions). I am such a loser!”
Mind Reading: You assume that you know what people think without having sufficient evidence of their thoughts. “She thinks I’m
incompetent.”
Negative filtering: You focus almost exclusively on the negatives and seldom notice the positives. “Look at all of the people who
don’t like me.”
Overgeneralizing: You perceive a global pattern of negatives on the basis of a single incident. “This always happens to me. I seem to
fail at a lot of things.”
Personalizing: You attribute a disproportionate amount of the blame to yourself for negative events, and you fail to see that certain
events are also caused by others. “We didn’t get the contract because I failed.”
Selective Abstraction: Judging the whole on the basis of a small negative aspect. “The whole party was a disaster because I served
the appetizers cold.”
Disputing Unhelpful Automatic Thoughts: The A-B-C’s
EXAMPLE
Instructions: Ask yourself, “What is going through my mind right now?” Identify the A (Antecedent), B (Belief/Automatic Thought),
and C (Consequence/Emotional Feeling), then D (Dispute the Belief) and E (Examine the New Emotional Response). Check out how
realistic the thought is and replace the unhelpful thought with a more accurate, nuanced thought.
A B C D E
Antecedent Belief/Automatic Thoughts Emotional Dispute Belief/Alternative Examine Outcome
Consequence Response New Emotional
Response
1.What actual event 1. What automatic thoughts went 1. What emotions did 1. What cognitive distortion did you 1. How much do you
happened? through your mind? you feel as a result of the make? (i.e., all-or-nothing, mind-reading, now believe the
thought? (sad, anxious, catastrophizing, etc.) automatic thought?
angry, etc.)
2. Use questions at the bottom to 2. What emotions do you
2. How intense (0-100%) compose a rebuttal to the automatic now feel (0-100%)? How
was the emotion? thought. Dispute the thought with a more intense is the emotion?
accurate thought.
My boss sent an e-mail She’s knows I am a fraud and I have no 1. Anxiety, panic, 1. Catastrophizing. Mind reading. 1. 15%
asking me to stop by her idea what I am doing. I am incompetent and thoughts of quitting.
office this afternoon to will be exposed as a fake. I feel horrible and 2. This thought is unhelpful and most likely 2. Still a little anxious,
discuss the presentation I awful! untrue. The chance the thought is true is (20%) but I feel much
gave this morning to the 20%. A better, more realistic thought is that calmer. No more panic. I
team. 2. 85% she probably liked the presentation and can see that I am telling
even if she didn’t, it won’t be the end of the myself irrational thoughts
world. I’m usually called in for accolades. that contribute to feelings
Although there are things I can improve, I of anxiety but when I step
am not incompetent. I have many successes back, I know I’m going to
and am usually good at presentations. be okay. I CAN self-sooth.
Questions to help develop an alternative response:
1. Does this thought help or hinder me? 3. What’s the worst that could happen and how could I cope? What’s
the most realistic outcome?
2.What is the evidence that the automatic thought is true? What 4. If your friend _________was in the situation and had this thought,
% (1-100%). what would you tell them?
2
Disputing Unhelpful Automatic Thoughts: The A-B-C’s
Instructions: Ask yourself, “What is going through my mind right now?” Identify the A (Antecedent), B (Belief/Automatic Thought),
and C (Consequence/Emotional Feeling), then D (Dispute the Belief) and E (Examine the New Emotional Response). Check out how
realistic the thought is and replace the unhelpful thought with a more accurate, nuanced thought.
A B C D E
Antecedent Belief/Automatic Thoughts Emotional Dispute Belief/Alternative Examine Outcome
Consequence Response New Emotional
Response
1.What actual event 1. What automatic thoughts went 1. What emotions did 1. What cognitive distortion did you 1. How much do you
happened? through your mind? you feel as a result of the make? (i.e., all-or-nothing, mind-reading, now believe the
thought? (sad, anxious, catastrophizing, etc.) automatic thought?
angry, etc.)
2. Use questions at the bottom to 2. What emotions do you
2. How intense (0-100%) compose a rebuttal to the automatic now feel (0-100%)? How
was the emotion? thought. Dispute the thought with a more intense is the emotion?
accurate thought.
Questions to help develop an alternative response:
1. Does this thought help or hinder me? 3. What’s the worst that could happen and how could I cope? What’s
the most realistic outcome?
2.What is the evidence that the automatic thought is true? What 4. If your friend _________was in the situation and had this thought,
% (1-100%). what would you tell them?
