While talking with his best friend Johnny, Maurice, who is clearly down and out, says "Dude, I just have no luck with girls at all. I asked Gina out last night and she turned me down flat. Nobody will EVER want to go out with me. Why am I such a loser?" Because Johnny has recently taken an abnormal psychology class, he uses a cognitive perspective to answer Maurice. Which of the following might Johnny say?
A) "You know, buddy, it sounds like you're really stuck in a battle between your id and superego!"
B) "Hey, friend, I think that you've learned to see yourself negatively, so now you need to learn to see yourself positively!"
C) "You know, dude, I think your neurotransmitters are all out of whack. Why don't you go to a doctor?"
D) "Hey, pal, you are really overgeneralizing. Just because Gina said no doesn't mean that all girls will!"

Question

While talking with his best friend Johnny, Maurice, who is clearly down and out, says "Dude, I just have no luck with girls at all. I asked Gina out last night and she turned me down flat. Nobody will EVER want to go out with me. Why am I such a loser?" Because Johnny has recently taken an abnormal psychology class, he uses a cognitive perspective to answer Maurice. Which of the following might Johnny say?
A) "You know, buddy, it sounds like you're really stuck in a battle between your id and superego!" 
B) "Hey, friend, I think that you've learned to see yourself negatively, so now you need to learn to see yourself positively!"
C) "You know, dude, I think your neurotransmitters are all out of whack. Why don't you go to a doctor?"
D) "Hey, pal, you are really overgeneralizing. Just because Gina said no doesn't mean that all girls will!"

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Johnny is using a cognitive perspective to analyze Maurice's situation. Option D suggests that Maurice is overgeneralizing, which is a common cognitive distortion where someone takes one negative experience and extrapolates it to apply to all similar situations. This response focuses on how Maurice is thinking and helps him see that just because one girl rejected him, it doesn't mean that he can't find someone else who will say yes. Option B is also somewhat related to cognitive psychology, but the language is overly simplistic and does not address Maurice's specific negative thought patterns. Option A is associated with Freud's psychoanalytic theory, which is not relevant to this situation, and Option C suggests that Maurice may have a biological issue, which is not supported by the information given.

While Talking with His Best Friend Johnny, Maurice, Who Is