The information handout describes the fortune telling cognitive distortion, whereby people predict that certain things are likely to happen without considering other, more likely outcomes.
Offers theory, guidance, and prompts for mental health professionals. Downloads are in Fillable PDF format where appropriate.
Includes client-friendly guidance. Downloads are in Fillable PDF format where appropriate.
Cognitive distortions, also known as cognitive biases or "unhelpful thinking styles," refer to the specific ways in which our thoughts can become biased (Beck, 1963). One such distortion is "fortune telling," where individuals predict that certain events are likely to happen without considering other, more probable outcomes (Beck, 1995). This distortion can manifest as either positive fortune telling, where someone anticipates future events more optimistically than reality would suggest, or negative fortune telling, where they predict future events negatively, such as fearing danger or failure (Burns, 2020). The Fortune Telling information handout is part of a series on cognitive distortions, aimed at helping clients and therapists work more effectively with common thinking biases.
This resource can help clients in a variety of ways:
Predictions centered on potential threats or danger.
Pessimistic thoughts about the future.
Negative expectations about relationships and interactions.
Provide psychoeducation about cognitive biases
Explore whether the client experiences fortune telling thoughts.
Help the client notice when they experience this cognitive distortion.
Use techniques such as costs-benefits analysis to address forunte telling.
Catching automatic thoughts and reevaluating cognitions is a core component of traditional cognitive therapy (Beck et al., 1979; Beck, 1995; Kennerley, Kirk, Westbrook, 2007). Identifying cognitive biases is often a helpful way to introduce this concept. Clients typically find it easy to understand and relate to the idea of "unhelpful thinking styles" and can be trained to notice these biases in their own automatic thoughts. Once biases are identified, clients can learn to assess the accuracy of these automatic thoughts and form new conclusions.
Humans have the ability to project themselves into the past, recalling pleasant childhood memories, as well as into the future, imagining exciting events yet to come. This skill plays a vital role in our learning, planning, and self-construction. We are therefore proficient in envisioning future events, even those that are unlikely to happen. Unfortunately, our capacity for mental time travel can sometimes lead us astray. One example of this is "fortune telling," a cognitive distortion where people predict certain outcomes without considering other, more probable possibilities (Beck, 1995).
Burns (2020) suggests that the content of fortune telling can vary between anxiety and depressive disorders. In cases of depression, fortune telling often revolves around hopeless themes, such as "I will never feel better," while in anxiety, it tends to focus on themes of threat, like "I’m going to get hurt."
Unfortunately, negative fortune telling can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. For instance, if someone anticipates that a social interaction will be unenjoyable, this expectation makes that outcome more likely (Branch & Willson, 2020). Additionally, negative fortune telling often leads to avoidance behavior, preventing individuals from confronting and disconfirming their predictions.
