Fallacies in Intrapersonal Communication

Some of the fallacies discussed in this chapter include perfectionism, obsession with shoulds, overgeneralization, taking responsibility for others, helplessness, and fear of catastrophic failure. The fallacies that show up in my intrapersonal communication the most would be helplessness and perfectionism. A lot of the time, I hold myself to unrealistically high standards, and when I fail to meet them, I become stressed and dissatisfied with myself, which then leads to me feeling helpless to change how I’m feeling. After reading about the fallacies and ways to challenge them, I definitely see how I can monitor and revise my intrapersonal communication. I can begin by adapting a rational-emotive approach to feelings. That way, I can identify when I’m reacting too extremely to something that I do not need to be perfect at, and then I can work to dispute the perfectionism. I can also monitor my self-talk to work for me instead of against me. If I have positive self-talk after a negative situation, I can keep myself from feeling helpless.