The Agoraphobia Mindset: Overgeneralization

People with agoraphobia tend to overgeneralize, especially when it comes to negative situations or events.

Overgeneralizing means assuming something that happened one time in one place or situation (usually a negative event) will continue to happen in all places and situations. If you have agoraphobia, you will be familiar with overgeneralization because overgeneralizing after your first panic attacks is probably what led to agoraphobia.

Examples of overgeneralizing:

You have your first panic attack and think to yourself, “If I had a panic attack at work, then I am in danger of having panic attacks every time I go to work or anywhere else.”

You fail one important test and think, “If I failed this test, I will probably always fail.”

This type of thought pattern can cause anxiety and contribute to agoraphobia.

Article Source: http://www.agoraphobia.net

Stephen Price is a recovered agoraphobic with a master's degree in psychology. His informational website on agoraphobia, featuring a free newsletter, can be found at: www.agoraphobia.ws

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