Thought-action fusion | |
---|---|
False beliefs from self-confusing mind-wandering about biased interpretations of intrusive thoughts are painful. | |
Specialty | Psychiatry, clinical psychology |
Thought-Action Fusion (TAF) is the tendency for individuals to assume that certain thoughts either increase the likelihood of catastrophic events (likelihood-TAF) or imply the immorality of their character (morality-TAF). [1] [2]
In more technical terms, TAF is a polyseme defining false beliefs or self-confusing mind wandering about a biased and painful association/fusion between subjects' spontaneous thoughts and imaginary latent egodystonic desires or magical-thinking capabilities. [3] [4] These imaginary latent egodystonic desires or magical-thinking capabilities generally express harmful actions/ behaviours (e.g., compulsions) that subjects appraise as highly possible, even though they have never existed so far. [3] [4] [5]
The main causes of TAF are (one or several) hold false beliefs that mind-wandering episodes involving cognitive/ interpretation biases have generated, from specific patterns of intrusive thoughts. [3] [4] [5] Besides, a high level of negative affectivity is a mediator in the statistical relations between TAF and the existence of psychological pains (e.g. anxiety, depression and shame), or some mental disorders. [3] [4]
An ADAA webinar highlighted several examples of TAF, [6] such as:
Intrusive thoughts | Cognitive biases | False beliefs |
---|---|---|
Driving is exciting, but anyone can run down pedestrians. | This terrible thought is definitively a sign. | I am losing control; I am going to run over a pedestrian anytime... |
My sharp knife could kill a baby. | This horrific thought is almost surely revealing. | I am probably going to kill my child in the near future... |
The two main categories of TAF are the:
Simple interviews with specific health professionals (e.g. psychologists, psychiatrists) allow diagnosing TAF; there also exists a reliable psychometrics/estimator which is the: thought-action fusion questionnaire/scale. [7] [8]
TAF happens in the anxiety disorders (e.g. GAD), obsessive-compulsive disorders (e.g. pure O) and eating disorders (e.g. anorexia); it generally worsens the mental disorders' severities or outcomes, irrespective of the treatments. [3] [9] [5]
The main medial treatments for TAF are the cognitive-behavioral therapies, [3] but mindfulness therapies like the acceptance and commitment therapy may also help. [10] [11] Moreover medications like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors may increase the psychotherapy efficiency, [12] by alleviating the psychological pains the TAF induces—see section on Causes.
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cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link)
Thought-action fusion | |
---|---|
False beliefs from self-confusing mind-wandering about biased interpretations of intrusive thoughts are painful. | |
Specialty | Psychiatry, clinical psychology |
Thought-Action Fusion (TAF) is the tendency for individuals to assume that certain thoughts either increase the likelihood of catastrophic events (likelihood-TAF) or imply the immorality of their character (morality-TAF). [1] [2]
In more technical terms, TAF is a polyseme defining false beliefs or self-confusing mind wandering about a biased and painful association/fusion between subjects' spontaneous thoughts and imaginary latent egodystonic desires or magical-thinking capabilities. [3] [4] These imaginary latent egodystonic desires or magical-thinking capabilities generally express harmful actions/ behaviours (e.g., compulsions) that subjects appraise as highly possible, even though they have never existed so far. [3] [4] [5]
The main causes of TAF are (one or several) hold false beliefs that mind-wandering episodes involving cognitive/ interpretation biases have generated, from specific patterns of intrusive thoughts. [3] [4] [5] Besides, a high level of negative affectivity is a mediator in the statistical relations between TAF and the existence of psychological pains (e.g. anxiety, depression and shame), or some mental disorders. [3] [4]
An ADAA webinar highlighted several examples of TAF, [6] such as:
Intrusive thoughts | Cognitive biases | False beliefs |
---|---|---|
Driving is exciting, but anyone can run down pedestrians. | This terrible thought is definitively a sign. | I am losing control; I am going to run over a pedestrian anytime... |
My sharp knife could kill a baby. | This horrific thought is almost surely revealing. | I am probably going to kill my child in the near future... |
The two main categories of TAF are the:
Simple interviews with specific health professionals (e.g. psychologists, psychiatrists) allow diagnosing TAF; there also exists a reliable psychometrics/estimator which is the: thought-action fusion questionnaire/scale. [7] [8]
TAF happens in the anxiety disorders (e.g. GAD), obsessive-compulsive disorders (e.g. pure O) and eating disorders (e.g. anorexia); it generally worsens the mental disorders' severities or outcomes, irrespective of the treatments. [3] [9] [5]
The main medial treatments for TAF are the cognitive-behavioral therapies, [3] but mindfulness therapies like the acceptance and commitment therapy may also help. [10] [11] Moreover medications like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors may increase the psychotherapy efficiency, [12] by alleviating the psychological pains the TAF induces—see section on Causes.
{{
cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link)
{{
cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link)