Imago therapy worksheet
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can be a valuable tool for clients stuck in patterns of unhelpful thinking and behavior.
This article provides an overview of cognitive distortions like emotional reasoning, with examples, for clinicians to explain to clients.
We’ve included a free downloadable emotional reasoning worksheet that you can save to your electronic health record (EHR) and use in your practice.
What is emotional reasoning?
Emotional reasoning is a cognitive distortion that involves interpreting emotions or feelings as facts, even in the absence of supporting evidence. In CBT, intense emotions can lead to impaired judgment and reasoning errors, which in turn, can influence behavior and mental health.
For example, Sara is feeling rejected and lonely as she hasn’t connected with her friends for a while, but interprets the feelings as meaning her friends don’t like or care about her. Sara acts on these thoughts and beliefs, and instead of reaching out to her friends to organize a get-together, she becomes more socially withdrawn and her depression worsens.
Emotional reasoning may lead to further thought errors, such as labeling (“People just don’t like me”) or catastrophizing (“I bet they’re all talking about me and what a terrible friend I am”).
Emotional reasoning examples
Some other emotional reasoning examples include:
Feeling anxious at work because a supervisor has not provided feedback on a presentation, and assuming it must mean something is wrong
Waking up feeling anxious and assuming something terrible is going to happen
Feeling sad and assuming life will always be this way, and they'll never be happy again
Not answering a friend's call, feeling guilty, and assuming they have hurt their friend's feelings
Examples of emotional reasoning in relationships include:
Arguing, feeling upset, and assuming the relationship is falling apart
Interpreting feelings of confusion about a partner not communicating as a sign that the relationship is doomed
Experiencing jealousy when a partner talks to another person, and assuming it must mean they would prefer to be with someone else
Feeling depressed and assuming a partner won’t want to be with them
Tips to help clients restructure emotional reasoning
Guide your clients through the emotional reasoning cognitive distortion with these steps:
1. Identify the distortion
Review a list of common cognitive distortions to name the thought error. For example, a person might feel nervous before their interview and assume they haven’t prepared. In this case, it’s emotional reasoning because they believe their feelings reflect the true nature of a situation, even if they have prepared.
2. Examine the validity of the thought
Identify evidence for and against the statement.
3. Consider alternative explanations
Are there other possibilities to describe the situation? In the above example, most people are nervous during interviews due to the pressure of wanting a favorable outcome.
4. Consider the impact of the distortion
Identify how emotional reasoning affects their thoughts, feelings, and behavior. For instance, in this example, emotional reasoning may fuel anxiety and reinforce negative beliefs, which may prevent applying for jobs in the future, in fear of experiencing nervousness.
5. Cognitive restructuring
Having looked at the evidence and alternative explanations, reframe the thought with more helpful thinking, like “I feel nervous about the interview, but it doesn’t mean I haven’t prepared. Everyone feels nervous at an interview. I’ll just be myself and do the best I can.”
How to use the emotional reasoning worksheet
You can download and use the CBT emotional reasoning worksheet in several ways:
Use the worksheet to provide psychoeducation about cognitive distortions such as emotional reasoning.
Give the client a copy of the worksheet to take home.
Ask the client to reflect on the emotional reasoning worksheet, complete the reflection questions between sessions, and report their findings at their next therapy appointment.
Use the emotional reasoning examples in group therapy sessions to encourage clients to participate.
Combine this worksheet with other cognitive behavioral therapy-related worksheets, including our personalization cognitive distortion worksheet, CBT triangle worksheet, cognitive distortions worksheet, CBT for anxiety worksheet, cognitive restructuring worksheet, CBT thought record, 10 cognitive distortions and how to help clients work with them, and CBT for PTSD.
Share the emotional reasoning worksheet with coworkers.
Create a CBT folder containing a printed copy of our CBT worksheets.
Use this worksheet to provide training to interns or supervisees.
Sources
Berle, D., Moulds, M. L., Starcevic, V., Milicevic, D., Hannan, A., et al. (2016). Does emotional reasoning change during cognitive behavioural therapy for anxiety? Cognitive Behaviour Therapy.
Gangemi, A., Dahò, M., & Mancini, F. (2021). Emotional reasoning and psychopathology. Brain Sciences.
Grinspoon, P. (2022). How to recognize and tame your cognitive distortions. Harvard Health Publishing.
Milgram, S. L. (n.d.). Workbook II: Understanding cognitive distortions and imposter fears. National Institutes of Health.
Paredes-Mealla, M., Martínez-Borba, V., Miragall, M., García-Palacios, A., Baños, R. M., et al. (2023). Is there evidence that emotional reasoning processing underlies emotional disorders in adults? A systematic review. Current Psychology.
Sokol, L., & Fox, M. G. (2019). The comprehensive clinician's guide to cognitive behavioral therapy. PESI Publishing.
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