Skip to main content

Scaling - Beliefs About Yourself

Continuum strategies (or ‘scaling’) are a well-known cognitive intervention for re-evaluating absolute appraisals, including core beliefs, dysfunctional assumptions, and all-or-nothing thoughts. Different versions of these techniques aim to weaken negative beliefs or strengthen positive beliefs. This Scaling – Beliefs About Yourself exercise is designed to help individuals re-evaluate their absolute appraisals using a continuum. It integrates various cognitive restructuring strategies so clients can examine their negative judgments from different perspectives.

Download or send

Choose your language

Professional version

Offers theory, guidance, and prompts for mental health professionals. Downloads are in Fillable PDF format where appropriate.

Client version

Includes client-friendly guidance. Downloads are in Fillable PDF format where appropriate.

Translation Template

Are you a qualified therapist who would like to help with our translation project?

Tags

Languages this resource is available in

  • English (GB)
  • English (US)
  • Spanish (International)

Problems this resource might be used to address

Techniques associated with this resource

Mechanisms associated with this resource

Introduction & Theoretical Background

Absolutist thinking is a cognitive pattern characterized by rigid evaluations that infer totality, such as containing words like ‘totally’, ‘always’, and ‘never’ (Al-Mosaiwi, M., & Johnstone, T., 2018). This thinking style is often associated with negative core beliefs and several cognitive distortions, including all-or-nothing and catastrophic thinking styles (Beck, 1976; Padesky, 1994), as well as various mental health conditions, such as depression (Teasdale et al., 2001), eating disorders (Byrne et al., 2008), and suicidal ideation (Hughes & Neimeyer, 1993). Factors contributing to absolutist thinking include evolutionary, developmental, and schematic processes (Gilbert, 1998; Veen & Arntz, 2000).

Therapists can address absolutist thinking using various cognitive interventions, including cost-benefits analysis, examining the evidence, and perspective-taking techniques (e.g., Burns, 2020; Leahy, 2017).  Continuum techniques (also known as ‘scaling’) have been developed to target this style of thinking specifically (Freeman et al., 1990; Morrison, 2007; Padesky,1994). They involve applying continuous properties to discontinuous (absolute)

Get access to this resource

View all plans and pricing options

Get Access

Therapist Guidance

"It sounds like you hold a negative belief about yourself. Can we do an exercise to explore how accurate your belief is?"

Step 1: Negative belief

Help the client identify the negative, absolute belief they hold about themselves. Absolute beliefs are often present in core beliefs and automatic thoughts, and usually take the form of extreme, global statements (e.g., “I am bad / unlikable / stupid”). Consider asking: 

"It sounds like you hold a negative belief about yourself. Can we do an exercise to explore how accurate your belief is?"

Step 2: Preferred belief

Help the client identify a preferred belief about themselves they would like to strengthen: this might be the opposite of the negative belief or a new, positive belief (Padesky, 1994). Ensure the preferred belief is stated in the client’s own words and contains emotionally resonant language by asking:

  • "How would you prefer to see yourself?"

Get access to this resource

View all plans and pricing options

Get Access

References And Further Reading

  • Al-Mosaiwi, M., & Johnstone, T. (2018). In an absolute state: Elevated use of absolutist words is a marker specific to anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation. Clinical Psychological Science, 6, 529-542. DOI: 10.1177/2167702617747074.
  • Beck, A. T. (1976). Cognitive therapy and the emotional disorders. International Universities Press.
  • Beck, A. T., Freeman, A., Pretzer, J., Davis, D. D., Fleming, B., Ottaviani, R., Beck, J., Simon, K. M., Padesky, C., Meyer, J., & Texler, L. (1990). Cognitive therapy of personality disorders. Guilford Press.
  • Beck, J. S. (2011). Cognitive behavior therapy: Basics and beyond. Guilford Press.
  • Brewin, C. R. (2006). Understanding cognitive behaviour therapy: A retrieval competition account. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 44, 765-784. DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2006.02.005.
  • Burns, D. D. (2020). Feeling great: The revolutionary new treatment for depression and anxiety. PESI Media and Publishing.
  • Byrne, S. M., Allen, K. L., Dove, E. R., Watt, F. J., & Nathan, P. R. (2008). The reliability and

Get access to this resource

View all plans and pricing options

Get Access