FIGURE 3.3. Complex cognitive model sequence.
Situation: Sally feels exhausted (physiological trigger) when she wakes up.
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Automatic thought: “I’m too tired to get up. There’s no use in getting out of bed.
I don’t
have enough energy to go to class or study.”
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Emotion: Sadness
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Physiological response: Heaviness in body.
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Automatic thoughts: “What if [my chemistry professor] gives a pop quiz? What
if he won’t
let me take a makeup quiz? What if this counts against my grade?
[image of a failing mark on her transcript]”
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Emotion: Anxiety
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Physiological response: Heart starts to beat quickly.
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Situation: Notices rapid heartbeat.
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Automatic thought: “My heart’s beating so fast. What’s wrong with me?”
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Emotion: Increased anxiety
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Physiological response: Body feels tense, heart continues to beat rapidly.
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Automatic thought: “I’d better just stay in bed.”
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Emotion: Relief
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Physiological response: Tension and heart rate reduce.
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Behavior: Stays in bed.
Sally eventually gets up, arrives at class 20 minutes after it started, then has a
host of automatic thoughts about being late and missing part of the lecture.