Cognitive Continuum

Thought Depolarization (Variant Scales)

The Cognitive Continuum is a graphic technique specifically designed to combat dichotomous or polarized thinking (thinking in terms of "all or nothing", "success or failure").

It consists of drawing a line or scale from 0 to 100 to demonstrate that there are intermediate degrees.

Imagine a musician who believes that his concert was a "total failure" because he made a minor mistake.

The therapist draws a line where 0% is "not even knowing how to hold the instrument" and 100% is "absolute perfection".

By asking the patient to place a beginner (0%) and a virtuoso master (100%), and then placing himself and his recent performance, the patient visualizes that his performance was perhaps 85%, which is a far cry from 0% (total failure). This breaks the rigidity of the binary judgment.

Re-eva luation of Criteria (Conceptual Variant)

This variant is used to redefine emotionally charged concepts such as "terrible", "unbearable" or "disaster".

If a patient states that having lost a document in the office is "terrible", a continuum of "Bad Things" is created.

At the "Most Terrible" end are events such as a nuclear war, a painful terminal illness, or the loss of one's entire family.

Then the question is asked, "Where does the loss of the document rank in comparison to these events?"

The patient is forced to relocate his or her problem from the "terrible" category to the "upsetting" or "inconvenient" category.

This helps normalize the experience and reduces the disproportionate anxiety response.

Application to Self-Image

The technique is also vital for working on self-image and perfectionism. If a person believes "If I'm not the best, I'm the worst," he or she is asked to define the criteria of 100% (the perfect employee, the perfect parent).

By breaking down that 100% implies almost impossible characteristics (never getting tired, never making a mistake, knowing everything), the patient can accept that placing himself at 70% or 80% is an excellent and humane level of functioning, validating his partial achievements rather than dismissing them as not being absolute.

Summary

This graphic technique combats dichotomous "all or nothing" thinking. Using a visual scale from 0 to 100, it demonstrates that intermediate degrees exist, breaking the rigidity of binary judgment on performance.

It helps redefine extreme concepts such as "terrible". By comparing an everyday problem with real catastrophes on the scale, the event is repositioned as simply annoying, reducing the disproportionate anxiety response.

It is applied to perfectionism by defining what 100% really means. The patient accepts that 80% performance is excellent and humane, validating their partial achievements rather than dismissing them as not absolute.