Maladaptive Behavior & Eating Disorders
Cognitive Factors in Maladaptive Behavior/eating disorders
In addition to the increased interest in cognitive aspects
of behavior therapy, there has been a rapid increase in
the influence of the cognitive perspective on efforts to
understand the anxiety disorders and eating disorders.
This perspective emphasizes the ways in which
certain thoughts and styles of thinking have
undesirable effects on behavior.
Thoughts that preoccupy people interfere with attention
to the task at hand. Worries, daydreams, and ideas that
have nothing to do with the task at hand are distracting
and reduce behavioral effectiveness.
This shows, task-irrelevant thoughts can serve
as distractors whether we are writing, composing, painting,
or carrying out a scientific experiment.
According to cognitive theorists, thinking disturbances
that occur only in certain places or in relation to
specific problems are the sources of anxiety. These types
of thoughts include unrealistic appraisals of situations
and consistent overestimation of their dangerous aspects.
For example, the degree and likelihood of harm may
both be exaggerated. Thus, a person's train of thought
and mental set can be viewed as vulnerability factors
that interact with the characteristics of situations. From
this point of view, precipitating events (the situation)
elicit or magnify an underlying attitude or fear
(the vulnerability factor) and give rise to hyper vigilance. As this
attitude strengthens, danger-related thoughts become
more easily activated by less specific, less avoidable
situations ("If you look for it, you're sure to find it"). As
a result, the anxious individual continually scans internal
and external stimuli for danger signals.
An example of this sort of disturbance may be seen
in an obsessive person with an eating disorder who
experiences intense anxiety when having to cross
the street and may actually be unable
to attempt a crossing. Most people would use the
following train of thought...
1. Streets are safe for crossing at green lights or when
free of traffic.
2. This street has a green light or is free of traffic.
3. Therefore, this street can be crossed.
Phobics also make up rules for themselves that are not
based in reality for example, "If I go into an elevator, it
might get stuck and I might suffocate". Unfortunately,
these "protective" thoughts and rituals become very
intrusive and can interfere with normal activity.
In addition to the increased interest in cognitive aspects
of behavior therapy, there has been a rapid increase in
the influence of the cognitive perspective on efforts to
understand the anxiety disorders and eating disorders.
This perspective emphasizes the ways in which
certain thoughts and styles of thinking have
undesirable effects on behavior.
Thoughts that preoccupy people interfere with attention
to the task at hand. Worries, daydreams, and ideas that
have nothing to do with the task at hand are distracting
and reduce behavioral effectiveness.
This shows, task-irrelevant thoughts can serve
as distractors whether we are writing, composing, painting,
or carrying out a scientific experiment.
According to cognitive theorists, thinking disturbances
that occur only in certain places or in relation to
specific problems are the sources of anxiety. These types
of thoughts include unrealistic appraisals of situations
and consistent overestimation of their dangerous aspects.
For example, the degree and likelihood of harm may
both be exaggerated. Thus, a person's train of thought
and mental set can be viewed as vulnerability factors
that interact with the characteristics of situations. From
this point of view, precipitating events (the situation)
elicit or magnify an underlying attitude or fear
(the vulnerability factor) and give rise to hyper vigilance. As this
attitude strengthens, danger-related thoughts become
more easily activated by less specific, less avoidable
situations ("If you look for it, you're sure to find it"). As
a result, the anxious individual continually scans internal
and external stimuli for danger signals.
An example of this sort of disturbance may be seen
in an obsessive person with an eating disorder who
experiences intense anxiety when having to cross
the street and may actually be unable
to attempt a crossing. Most people would use the
following train of thought...
1. Streets are safe for crossing at green lights or when
free of traffic.
2. This street has a green light or is free of traffic.
3. Therefore, this street can be crossed.
Phobics also make up rules for themselves that are not
based in reality for example, "If I go into an elevator, it
might get stuck and I might suffocate". Unfortunately,
these "protective" thoughts and rituals become very
intrusive and can interfere with normal activity.
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I encourage you to access this website for treatment here: http://www.TheLiberatorMethod.com/