Arbitrary Inference and Catastrophizing

Arbitrary Inference and Catastrophizing

Introduction

Arbitrary inference refers to the formation of a judgment without having any supporting information. An example of this can be a belief held by a person that some person does not like them, even though they might not have any actual evidence to support the claim. The judgments which are based on insufficient evidences lead to erroneous conclusions (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). This is a type of cognitive distortion as in this case people distort and twist information that is present in the environment. These biases then reinforce thought patterns that are negative and thus ...