Personalization and Catastrophism

Catastrophic Vision and Magnification

Catastrophic vision is the tendency to expect disaster. The person's mind constantly bombards with "What if?" questions always focused on the worst-case scenario, no matter how unlikely.

The possibility of danger is magnified and coping skills are minimized.

A different example from the original: A mother calls her son and he doesn't answer the phone.

Immediately, instead of thinking he is busy or out of battery, the catastrophic vision leads her to imagine he has been in a serious car accident and is in the hospital.

This distortion keeps the nervous system in a constant and exhausted state of alertness, reacting to tragedies that have not occurred.

The Personalization Phenomenon

Personalization is the tendency to relate external events to oneself without sufficient basis.

The person believes himself to be the center of the universe in a negative sense, assuming that what people do or say is a direct reaction to him, or constantly comparing himself to others in order to lose out.

If a group of co-workers are laughing across the room, the personalizer will think, "They're laughing at me, I'm sure they noticed I'm wearing old shoes." He does not contemplate being laughed at for a private joke.

It also manifests itself in assuming blame that does not belong, such as a child who believes that his parents' divorce is his fault for not having been a better student. This distortion generates guilt and a feeling of constant social vulnerability.

Erroneous Attribution of Responsibility

Linked to personalization, this thinking error leads the individual to assume full responsibility for negative events that are beyond his or her control (personalization) or, conversely, to deny responsibility for his or her own problems and blame others (depersonalization or projection).

The healthy balance lies in objective reattribution: recognizing what part of the problem is a consequence of one's own actions and what part is due to external factors or chance, using tools such as the pie technique to distribute percentages of responsibility.

Summary

The catastrophic view consists of systematically expecting disaster. The mind magnifies the possibility of danger and minimizes coping capacity, living in a state of constant alert.

Personalization leads the individual to believe himself to be the center of external events without sufficient basis. He/she interprets neutral actions of others as direct reactions or criticism of him/herself.

The erroneous attribution of responsibility oscillates between assuming the blame of others or blaming others for one's own problems. Mental health requires objectively assessing actual responsibility percentages.