Misconceptions and the Cognitive Therapies

Abstract

Cognitive therapists have suggested many terms for the faulty beliefs or cognitions that constitute the core targets of a cognitive therapy. The author prefers the term misconceptions but feels equally at home with irrational beliefs or faulty assumptions. The author discusses three major misconceptions or clusters of misconceptions. They are phrenophobia, or the belief that one is verging on insanity; the Special Person misconception, or the notion that one is a superior person with special entitlements; and the incapability misconception, or the false belief that one lacks certain capabilities that most others possess. Although faulty beliefs have played a prominent role in psychotherapy, they have been competing with the emotions for the role of principal villain of the psychological disorders. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)