A mother who has tragically lost a daughter in a car accident spends her days rehearsing "if onlys." "If only I had made her stay home that night"; "If only she had taken Route 78 instead of Route 22"; "If only I had offered to chauffeur her instead of letting her drive herself." The mother is engaging in the process known as __________.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The mother is engaging in counterfactual thinking, which involves imagining how past events could have turned out differently if different actions had been taken. She is imagining different scenarios and outcomes based on different choices she or her daughter could have made.

A Mother Who Has Tragically Lost a Daughter in a Car