The effect of catastrophic thinking

In chapter 5, Friedman and Martin focus on the topic of catastrophic thinking and its relationship with the length of life. They describe catastrophizing as how someone thinks about the things that have happened to them or what will happen to them in the future. Catastrophizing is less about how people respond to events (although catastrophic thinkers tend to have negative responses) but more focused on thoughts and feelings. They found that catastrophizers died sooner than non-catastrophizers, and this finding was much more common in men compared to women. One potential reason for this may be because men tend to have less close emotional bonds with others. Whereas women like to talk about their feelings, men tend to internalize negative emotions which prevents them from getting the help or assistance that they need. I wonder why it’s more likely for catastrophizers to die from violence and accidents. Friedman and Martin briefly mention this fact in the chapter but fail to develop further possible explanations. It could be that the catastrophizers negative thoughts make them more prone to self-harm and self-inflicted violence (as discussed later in the chapter). However, what is the relationship between being a catastrophizer and involvement accidents out of one’s control? Could it be that catastrophizers are more likely to engage in risky behavior?

It’s interesting that Friedman and Martin analyze the connection between conscientiousness and catastrophic thinking. They state that those who are conscientious are less likely to be a catastrophizer.  I found this to be an interesting point because although I consider myself to be conscientious, I sometimes get caught up in negative thoughts. I’m not sure if I would go as far as to classify myself as a catastrophizer, but I want to learn more about the connection between these two traits. I hypothesize that conscientious people are more likely to think about their thoughts about themselves and are better able to rationalize whether or not they should engage in risky or violent behaviors. Conscientious people are probably less likely to be impulsive and make spur of the moment decisions based on temporary feelings, and have coping mechanisms that help them through it. For example, when I tend to think pessimistically, I talk with my friends and family about how I feel and why I feel that way, so I am able to challenge my beliefs and replace it with more realistic or positive thoughts.