Cognitive Distortions
What is black-and-white thinking? Give an example.
Viewing things as all good or all bad. Example: “If I’m not perfect, I’m a failure.”
What is neutral self-talk? How can it help in recovery?
Neutral self-talk is an internal dialogue that is balanced, objective, and free of extreme positive or negative judgments. Instead of harsh self-criticism (“I’m a failure”) or unrealistic positivity (“I’m amazing at everything”), neutral self-talk focuses on factual, non-emotional statements like, “I made a mistake, but I can learn from it,” or “This is challenging, and I’m working through it.”
What is a defense mechanism, and why do we use them?
Unconscious strategies the mind uses to protect itself from anxiety, stress, or uncomfortable emotions.
Who won Album of the Year at the 2024 Grammy Awards?
Taylor Swift (Midnights).
Who is the COO of Buckeye
Parham
What is fortune telling?
Predicting something negative will happen without real evidence.
What does it mean to “urge surf”? Describe the steps.
Urge surfing is a mindfulness-based coping skill used to manage cravings, intense emotions, or impulses without acting on them. The idea is to treat the urge like a wave (it rises, peaks, and eventually falls) while you “ride it out” instead of giving in.
Name the defense mechanism: “Blaming others for feelings or actions you’re actually experiencing yourself.”
Projection.
What movie won Best Picture at the 2024 Oscars?
Oppenheimer.
What is the name Cat's Cat?
Potato (Popo)
How does personalization affect relationships?
Personalization affects relationships by causing individuals to take excessive responsibility for things that are not their fault or are outside of their control. This distortion can lead to
What is the wise mind?
Wise mind is the balanced state between emotion mind and reasonable mind, where you use both feelings and logic to make healthy decisions.
What’s the difference between denial and repression?
Denial is refusing to acknowledge a reality; repression is unconsciously blocking it from awareness.
Which 2024 movie became the highest-grossing film of the year worldwide?
Barbie.
What is the name of Juliette's Cat?
White Cat
Why is emotional reasoning a faulty thinking pattern?
When someone engages in emotional reasoning, they believe that if they feel something strongly, it must be true: for example, “I feel worthless, so I must be worthless.
Give two healthy coping skills to manage emotional overwhelm.
Deep breathing exercises and grounding techniques ect.
Which defense mechanism involves redirecting emotions from the original source to a safer substitute?
Displacement.
Which celebrity’s memoir, released in 2023, revealed details about a breakup with Justin Timberlake and life in the public eye?
Britney Spears (The Woman in Me).
What are the names of Stuart's Cats?
Igor and Archie
Identify and correct three cognitive distortions in this thought: “I forgot to return my friend’s call, so they’re probably mad at me and won’t want to be friends anymore.”
1. Mind Reading – Assuming you know their feelings without evidence (“they’re probably mad at me”).
Correction: “I can’t know how they feel unless I ask. They may just be busy or understanding.”
2. Catastrophizing – Jumping to the worst-case scenario (“won’t want to be friends anymore”).
Correction: “One missed call is unlikely to end a friendship . I can call them back and explain.”
3. All-or-Nothing Thinking – Viewing the situation in extremes (“either we’re friends or not at all”).
Correction: “Friendships have ups and downs. This doesn’t erase the good parts of our relationship.”
Create a role-play example of a healthy “I statement” in a conflict. What makes it effective?
ChatGPT said:
"I feel frustrated when the dishes are left unwashed because I value a clean space, and I would appreciate it if we could agree on a cleanup schedule."
It’s effective because it expresses feelings, identifies the behavior, and makes a clear, respectful request without blame.
what is the difference between an unhealthy coping skill and defense mechanism
Defense mechanisms are unconscious ways the mind protects from distress
unhealthy coping skills are conscious behaviors that relieve stress short-term but cause long-term harm.
Name the 2024 Netflix series based on a video game that became one of the platform’s most-watched shows in its first month.
Fallout.
What are the names of all the animals that come to Buckeye? The most common (4 in total)
Butter, Hendrix, Meyer, Kobe,