In
clinical psychology, selective abstraction is a type of
cognitive bias or
cognitive distortion
A cognitive distortion is an exaggerated or irrational thought pattern involved in the onset or perpetuation of psychopathological states, such as depression and anxiety.
Cognitive distortions are thoughts that cause individuals to perceive rea ...
in which a detail is taken out of context and believed whilst everything else in the context is ignored. It commonly appears in
Aaron T. Beck
Aaron Temkin Beck (July 18, 1921 – November 1, 2021) was an American psychiatrist who was a professor in the department of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania. 's work in
cognitive therapy
Cognitive therapy (CT) is a type of psychotherapy developed by American psychiatrist Aaron T. Beck. CT is one therapeutic approach within the larger group of cognitive behavioral therapies (CBT) and was first expounded by Beck in the 1960s. Co ...
. Another definition is: "focusing
on only the negative aspects of an event, such as, 'I ruined the whole recital because of that one mistake.
[Weems, C. F., Berman, S. L., Silverman, W. K., & Saavedra, L. M. (2001). "Cognitive errors in youth with anxiety disorders: The linkages between negative cognitive errors and anxious symptoms". ''Cognitive Therapy and Research'', ''25''(5), 559-575.]
Effects
A team of researchers analyzed the association between cognitive errors in youths with anxiety disorders by using the Children's Negative Cognitive Error Questionnaire (CNCEQ) and "several other self-reporting measures" (Children's Depression Inventory, Childhood Anxiety Sensitivity Index, Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale, and the
State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children-Trait Version).
[ By assessing the CNCEQ, the researchers found that selective abstraction was related to both child depression and "measures of anxiety (i.e., trait anxiety, manifest anxiety, and ]anxiety sensitivity Anxiety sensitivity (AS) refers to the fear of behaviours or sensations associated with the experience of anxiety, and a misinterpretation of such sensations as dangerous. Bodily sensations related to anxiety, such as nausea and palpitations, are mi ...
)".[
One study noted that "some consistent findings have emerged with respect to the presence of specific cognitive errors in anxiety versus depression. 'Selective abstraction' is more commonly associated with depression than with anxiety".][Maric, M., Heyne, D. A., van Widenfelt, B., M., & Westenberg, P. M. (2011). "Distorted cognitive processing in youth: The structure of negative cognitive errors and their associations with anxiety". ''Cognitive Therapy and Research'', 35(1), 11-20.][Leitenberg, H., Yost, L. W., & Carroll-Wilson, M. (1986). "Negative cognitive errors in children: Questionnaire development, normative data, and comparisons between children with and without self-reported symptoms of depression, low self-esteem, and evaluation anxiety". '']Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology
The ''Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology'' is a monthly academic journal published by the American Psychological Association. Its focus is on treatment and prevention in all areas of clinical and clinical-health psychology and especiall ...
'', 54, 528–536.
References
Clinical psychology
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