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ACSM

010-111 · Question #291

What motivational strategy is used to help an individual change negative statements into positive statements?

The correct answer is D. Cognitive restructuring. Cognitive restructuring is a behavioral change technique that helps individuals identify and replace negative or irrational thoughts with more positive, realistic ones.

Exercise Leadership and Client Education

Question

What motivational strategy is used to help an individual change negative statements into positive statements?

Options

  • AGoal setting
  • BSocial reinforcement
  • CSelf-monitoring
  • DCognitive restructuring

How the community answered

(22 responses)
  • A
    5% (1)
  • B
    9% (2)
  • C
    5% (1)
  • D
    82% (18)

Why each option

Cognitive restructuring is a behavioral change technique that helps individuals identify and replace negative or irrational thoughts with more positive, realistic ones.

AGoal setting

Goal setting focuses on establishing specific, measurable targets to guide behavior, not on identifying or changing the nature of self-talk.

BSocial reinforcement

Social reinforcement relies on external feedback and encouragement from others to reinforce desired behaviors, not on altering internal thought patterns.

CSelf-monitoring

Self-monitoring involves tracking and recording one's own behavior or progress over time, which promotes awareness but does not directly reframe negative statements into positive ones.

DCognitive restructuringCorrect

Cognitive restructuring is a strategy derived from cognitive-behavioral therapy that directly targets the thought process by teaching individuals to recognize automatic negative self-statements and consciously reframe them as positive alternatives. This technique addresses the cognitive component of motivation and behavior change, making it specifically suited to transforming negative internal dialogue into constructive thinking patterns.

Concept tested: Cognitive restructuring for behavior change

Source: https://www.apa.org/topics/cognitive-behavioral-therapy

Topics

#cognitive restructuring#motivational strategies#behavior change#positive self-talk

Community Discussion

4
Brenda K.Brenda K.Jun 26, 2026

D is your answer, and this one is a quick win, do not flag it for review. Cognitive restructuring is the technique that directly targets thought patterns, replacing negative self-talk with positive alternatives, which is exactly what the question describes.

12
Mateus R.Mateus R.Jun 26, 2026

Cognitive restructuring is exactly right, it rewires how you talk to yourself.

4
Imani T.Imani T.Jun 27, 2026

The rewiring metaphor is catchy but the real lift is building the habit of catching the distorted thought in the first place, before you can restructure anything.

0
Imani T.Imani T.Jun 26, 2026

Thought A first, but "negative to positive statements" is textbook cognitive restructuring.

2
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