What kind of cognitive distortions might be addressed in cognitive therapy?

Cognitive therapy primarily targets negative automatic thoughts, which are the spontaneous and often irrational thoughts that can contribute to emotional distress and behavioral issues. These thoughts can cloud an individual's perception of reality, leading to feelings of anxiety, depression, or hopelessness. By identifying and challenging these negative automatic thoughts, cognitive therapy helps individuals reframe their thinking patterns and develop healthier, more adaptive thought processes.

In this therapeutic context, the focus is on understanding how cognitive distortions influence emotions and behaviors. These distortions might include all-or-nothing thinking, overgeneralization, or catastrophizing. Addressing these negative automatic thoughts is crucial because they can significantly impact a person's mental health and overall outlook on life.

Other options, such as universal truths, intellectual understanding, and behavioral responses, do not directly align with the core focus of cognitive therapy. While intellectual understanding may be a component of the therapeutic process, it does not specifically refer to the distortion of thoughts. Behavioral responses relate more to the actions taken by individuals in reaction to their thoughts and feelings, which is more a focus of behavioral therapy rather than cognitive therapy itself. Therefore, the most relevant choice in the context of cognitive therapy is negative automatic thoughts.