Thought challenging — identifying and evaluating the automatic negative thoughts driving motivated reasoning — is the core skill of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
Identifying Automatic Negative Thoughts in Motivated Reasoning
Automatic negative thoughts (ANTs) in motivated reasoning are fast, involuntary, and often taken as facts. They drive motivated reasoning while remaining unexamined.
Common ANT patterns in motivated reasoning: catastrophizing, all-or-nothing thinking, mind-reading, personalization.
The Thought Challenging Process for Motivated Reasoning
- Notice the thought: 'I just had the thought that...'
- Identify the distortion: What type of thinking error is this?
- Examine the evidence: What actually supports this thought? What contradicts it?
- Generate alternatives: What's a more accurate and helpful perspective?
- Rate the change: How do you feel now compared to before?
Building the Skill Over Time for Motivated Reasoning
Initially, thought challenging requires deliberate effort. With practice, the mind automatically generates balanced perspectives when motivated reasoning-related thoughts arise.