Reinterpretation

Reinterpretation is giving a situation a new, more useful or more accurate meaning without denying the facts.

Definition

Reinterpretation is one of the emotion regulation strategies. It involves changing the way you understand the event, your own reaction or the consequences of the situation. It's not about artificially positive thinking, but about checking whether the original interpretation is not too narrow, catastrophic or based on incomplete data.

Key ideas

Missing key ideas.

Practice and life

Write down the difficult situation, the first interpretation, and two alternative interpretations that still respect the facts. Check how each affects emotions and actions.

Common misunderstanding

It is a mistake to use reinterpretation to invalidate pain. It is also a mistake to force a positive version of events without data.

Questions for self-reflection

No questions for self-reflection.

Sources

No sources.