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third-person singular simple present catastrophizes, present participle catastrophizing, simple past and past participle catastrophized
(transitive, intransitive) To regard a bad situation as if it were disastrous or catastrophic. examples
(transitive, intransitive, psychology) To expose a behaviour pattern of seeking worst interpretation and magnifying disagreeable outcomes (of). quotations
Particularly likely to overreact are those who tend to catastrophize (Ellis, 1962) and those who have Type A personalities (Friedman & Rosenman, 1974).
1947, Tavistock Institute of Human Relations, University of Michigan Research Center for Group Dynamics, Human Relations
Another way to catastrophize is to jump to an extreme conclusion from an unimportant or irrelevant event.
2001, David H. Barlow, Clinical Handbook of Psychological Disorders
[I]ndividuals who catastrophized reported worse health-related quality of life, higher psychological distress, and perceived more somatic symptoms, worse consequences, and more severe emotional impact as compared to those participants who did not catastrophize.
2017, LeeAnne B. Sherwin, Emily Leary, Wendy A. Henderson, “The association of catastrophizing with quality-of-life outcomes in patients with irritable bowel syndrome”, in Quality of Life Research, volume 26, number 8
(obsolete) To end a comedy.