Cognitive distortions in the poetry of Anne Sexton.

Full Abstract

Cognitive therapists have described cognitive distortions that are frequently associated with depression. These distortions include arbitrary inference, selective abstraction, overgeneralization, magnification and minimization, personalization, and dichotomous thinking, which are often present in suicidal individuals. This article suggests it is useful to conceptualize cognitive distortions in literary terms and uses the professional oeuvre of confessional poet Anne Sexton to identify salient examples.

Author information

Author/s: Wedding, D (D);

Affiliation: School of Medicine, University of Missouri-Columbia, USA.

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Biography; Historical Article; Journal Article

Journal: Suicide & life-threatening behavior (Suicide Life Threat Behav), published in UNITED STATES. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2000-; vol 30 (issue 2) : pp 140-4

Dates: Created 2000/11/01; Completed 2000/11/01; Revised 2008/11/21;

PMID: 10888054, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 2/18/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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