Which statement about musturbation and personalization is true?

• A. Personalization is the tendency to relate events to oneself; musturbation is the belief there are musts, shoulds, and oughts
• B. Personalization is a memory technique; musturbation is exposure therapy
• C. Personalization is irrelevant; musturbation is a dream analysis
• D. Personalization is a type of reinforcement; musturbation is a cognitive appraisal

Answer: (A)

In cognitive-behavioral terms, personalization is the tendency to interpret events as being about you or caused by you, often leading to self-blame. Musturbation is the rigid belief that there are musts, shoulds, and oughts that you or others must follow. The statement that captures this correctly says that personalization involves relating events to oneself, and musturbation involves the belief in musts and shoulds.

This matters because these beliefs fuel emotional distress: personalization can make you blame yourself for things outside your control, while musturbation creates inflexible demands that are rarely met, so disappointment, guilt, or anxiety follow whenever reality falls short. The other options mix up the concepts—labeling personalization as a memory technique or musturbation as exposure therapy, for example—so they don’t fit the established definitions.