Automatic Thought
Thoughts or images that arise instantaneously and reflexively in response to a specific situation. They surface without deliberate thinking and powerfully influence emotions and behavior. A core concept in cognitive behavioral therapy.
What Is an Automatic Thought
An automatic thought is a thought or image that pops into your head instantly and unintentionally when you encounter a situation. Aaron Beck, the founder of cognitive behavioral therapy, named it after observing the streams of negative thoughts his depressed patients reported again and again, and it sits at the core of the cognitive model: not "event leads to emotion" but "event leads to automatic thought leads to emotion." When your boss calls you in, the instant thought "I must be in trouble" is an automatic thought. This thought generates anxiety and makes your steps heavy as you walk toward the meeting room.
Characteristics of Automatic Thoughts
Automatic thoughts have several defining characteristics. First, they are extremely fast. They arise almost reflexively, bypassing conscious reasoning. Second, they feel convincing. The person experiences them not as "thoughts" but as "facts." The automatic thought "I am disliked" is perceived not as "I thought I might be disliked" but as the reality "I am disliked." Third, they are patterned. The same person tends to repeat the same types of automatic thoughts. This is because the deep-seated beliefs (schemas) underlying automatic thoughts are consistent.
Dealing with Automatic Thoughts
In cognitive behavioral therapy, the goal is not to "stop" automatic thoughts but to "notice and examine" them. First, you practice catching "what just went through my mind" at the moment an emotion stirs. Then, instead of accepting that thought as fact, you treat it as a hypothesis and examine the evidence. For the automatic thought "my boss dislikes me," you ask: "What is the evidence for this? Is there counter-evidence? Could there be an alternative interpretation?" Automatic thoughts do not vanish altogether, but you can change your relationship to them. Simply no longer confusing thoughts with facts markedly changes the swings in your emotions.
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