Which term describes the tendency for individuals to relate events to themselves when there is no basis for this connection?

Which term describes the tendency for individuals to relate events to themselves when there is no basis for this connection?

• A. Rationality
• B. Personalization
• C. Role-playing
• D. Self-instructional therapy

Answer: (B)

In cognitive distortions, personalization is the tendency to relate events to oneself when there is no basis for this connection. This bias makes you assume that external events or others’ actions are aimed at you or are your fault, even without solid evidence. That matches the description here: treating something as personally relevant when it isn’t. For example, thinking a neutral remark from a coworker is a personal attack, or believing a random news story is about you. This differs from rational thinking, which weighs evidence objectively; role-playing, which involves adopting another’s perspective; and self-instructional therapy, which is a technique for guiding one’s own thoughts, not a bias about events. Recognizing personalization helps you challenge the automatic link you make between events and yourself by asking what evidence supports it and what other explanations might exist.

In cognitive distortions, personalization is the tendency to relate events to oneself when there is no basis for this connection. This bias makes you assume that external events or others’ actions are aimed at you or are your fault, even without solid evidence. That matches the description here: treating something as personally relevant when it isn’t. For example, thinking a neutral remark from a coworker is a personal attack, or believing a random news story is about you. This differs from rational thinking, which weighs evidence objectively; role-playing, which involves adopting another’s perspective; and self-instructional therapy, which is a technique for guiding one’s own thoughts, not a bias about events. Recognizing personalization helps you challenge the automatic link you make between events and yourself by asking what evidence supports it and what other explanations might exist.