Question

Lately, Jameson finds himself struggling emotionally during the holidays. He feels increasingly frustrated with making travel plans to his parents' house, gift shopping, and sitting at holiday dinners trying to make light conversation with relatives. Jameson's therapist challenges him to think about his past visits home, during which Jameson experienced positive emotions. She asks whether Jameson's "all-or-nothing" view of holiday visits as happy or unhappy is a rational approach: "Is it realistic to think that a holiday visit home should be 100% positive"? What type of therapy does this scenario illustrate?

Answer 1

Jameson's therapist engages him in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) by challenging his 'all-or-nothing' view of holiday visits, which helps him develop a more realistic perspective on his experiences.

Step-by-step explanation:

The therapy illustrated in the scenario with Jameson is a form of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). His therapist is challenging his 'all-or-nothing' thinking, which is a common cognitive distortion targeted in CBT. By encouraging Jameson to reflect on the range of experiences during holiday visits, the therapist is guiding him to recognize that few experiences are completely positive or negative, but often a mixture of both.

The therapist's approach is designed to help Jameson develop a more nuanced and realistic perspective of his emotions and experiences. By understanding that it's unrealistic to expect a holiday visit home to be 100% positive, Jameson can begin to adjust his expectations and potentially reduce his emotional distress.