Abstract
Absolutist thinking is considered a cognitive distortion by most cognitive therapies for anxiety and depression. Yet, there is little empirical evidence of its prevalence or specificity. Across three studies, we conducted a text analysis of 63 Internet forums (over 6,400 members) using the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count software to examine absolutism at the linguistic level. We predicted and found that anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation forums contained more absolutist words than control forums (ds > 3.14). Suicidal ideation forums also contained more absolutist words than anxiety and depression forums (ds > 1.71). We show that these differences are more reflective of absolutist thinking than psychological distress. It is interesting that absolutist words tracked the severity of affective disorder forums more faithfully than negative emotion words. Finally, we found elevated levels of absolutist words in depression recovery forums. This suggests that absolutist thinking may be a vulnerability factor.
Highlights
Absolutist thinking underlies many of the cognitive distortions (Beck, 1979; Burns, 1989) and irrational beliefs (A. Ellis & Harper, 1975) that are purported to mediate the core affective disorders
Members were nested within forums, and forums were nested within groups
The data we have presented confirm that the use of absolutist words is elevated in the natural language of various affective disorder forum groups
Summary
Absolutist thinking underlies many of the cognitive distortions (Beck, 1979; Burns, 1989) and irrational beliefs (A. Ellis & Harper, 1975) that are purported to mediate the core affective disorders. Phrases, and ideas that denote totality, either of magnitude or probability, are often referred to as “absolute.” Absolutist thoughts are independent of context and unqualified by nuance In this observational study, we aimed to measure absolutist thinking in a specific and ecologically valid manner. In a notable exception, Teasdale et al (2001) found that an “absolutist, dichotomous thinking style” predicted future depressive relapse, over and above the content of responses This was evidenced by both positive and negative “extreme responses” on Likert-type scales. We had two specific hypotheses: Hypothesis 1 (H1): The percentage of absolutist words in anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation test forum groups will be significantly greater than in Study 1 control forum groups
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
