Irrational Thinking and Debilitative Emotions FALLACY l A

Irrational Thinking and Debilitative Emotions

FALLACY l. A fallacy is a component of an argument that is perceptibly flawed in its logic or form, thus rendering the argument invalid in whole.

Fallacies of Perfection: the irrational belief that a worthwhile communicator should be able to handle every situation with complete confidence and skill.

Approval: the irrational belief that it is vital to win the approval of virtually every person a communicator deals with.

Shoulds: the irrational belief that people should behave in the most desirable way.

Overgeneralizations: the irrational beliefs in which (1)conclusions are based on limited evidence or (2) communicators exaggerate their shortcomings.

Causation: the irrational belief that emotions are caused by others and not by the person who has them.

Helplessness: the irrational belief that satisfaction in life is determined by forces beyond one’s control.

Catastrophic Expectations: the irrational belief that the worst possible outcome will probably occur.

WHAT IS THIS FALLACY? “I really don’t like rock concerts, but I go so others won’t think I’m a loser. ”

“Those interviews made me so nervous. ”

“ She’ll really upset me if she comes late again. ”

“You ought to keep in touch more. ”

“ She is such a cold fish; I’m lucky if I get a kiss on the cheek!”

“Look at this rotten paper! I got an “A”, but I missed these two dumb typos. ”

“ I know I’ll make a fool of myself if I tell him how I feel. ”

“No matter what I do I just can’t seem to manage my time. ”

“ You’re always finishing my sentences for me. ”

“ I can’t afford it, but if I don’t lend Rob $50, he probably won’t like me anymore. ”