A patient with an eating disorder states, 'I heard people laughing behind me in the check-out line at the department store. I bet they thought it was hysterically funny that I gained a pound in the last few days.' The nurse documents that the patient is exhibiting which cognitive distortion related to maladaptive eating regulation responses?
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The correct answer is B: Personalization. Personalization is a cognitive distortion where an individual takes responsibility for events that are not entirely their fault. In this scenario, the patient is attributing the laughter of people in the check-out line to being about them and their weight gain, when in reality, the laughter may have had nothing to do with them. This distortion can contribute to feelings of guilt, shame, and self-blame.
A: Magnification involves exaggerating the importance or meaning of an event, which is not evident in the scenario.
C: Overgeneralization involves making broad negative conclusions based on a single event, which is not demonstrated here.
D: Dichotomous thinking is the tendency to view situations in black and white terms, with no middle ground, which is not present in the patient's statement.