Self-Critical Thinking and Overgeneralization in Depression and Eating Disorders: An Experimental Study. Issue 5 (17th May 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Thew, Graham R.; Gregory, James D.; Roberts, Kate; Rimes, Katharine A.
• Is Part Of: Behavioural and cognitive psychotherapy. Volume 45:Issue 5(2017)
• Page Start: 510
• Page End: 523
• Publication Date: 2017-05-17
• Subjects: Self-criticism, -- depression, -- eating disorders, -- overgeneralization, -- perfectionism; Behavior therapy -- Periodicals; 616.89142
• DOI: 10.1017/S1352465817000327
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1352-4658

Abstract

Abstract : Background: Self-critical thinking is common across psychological disorders. This study hypothesized that it may play an important role in 'overgeneralization', the process of drawing general implications from an isolated negative experience.Aims: To explore the impact of two experimental tasks designed to elicit self-critical thoughts on the endorsement of general negative self-views of clinical and non-clinical populations.Method: Three groups (depression, eating disorders and non-clinical controls), completed standardized questionnaires and the two tasks. Participants rated their self-critical thinking and general negative self-beliefs before and after each task.Results: Following a failure experience, both clinical groups showed a greater increase in general negative self-views compared with controls, indicating greater overgeneralization. Both habitual and increases in state self-critical thinking were associated with overgeneralization while negative perfectionism was not. Overgeneralization was more strongly associated with post-task reduced mood than self-criticism.Conclusions: Self-critical thinking may be an important factor in the process of overgeneralization, and the increase in general negative self-views may be particularly crucial for lowering of mood.