Externalization example: Which phrasing best demonstrates externalization?

Externalization example: Which phrasing best demonstrates externalization?

• A. I am anxious.
• B. Anxiety is something I cope with.
• C. Anxiety causes problems in my life.
• D. I am currently living with anxiety.

Answer: (D)

Externalization means treating the problem as something outside the person, so language frames the issue as a separate influence rather than part of who the person is. Saying “I am currently living with anxiety” positions anxiety as a condition the person coexists with, not as something that defines them. It shifts agency to how the person relates to the problem and enables discussion of strategies to manage it as an external influence. In contrast, phrases like “I am anxious” tie the issue to the self, which blends the person with the problem and undermines that external perspective. The other options also frame the problem in relation to the self or as a force acting on life, rather than as a separate entity the person can relate to or negotiate with.

Externalization means treating the problem as something outside the person, so language frames the issue as a separate influence rather than part of who the person is. Saying “I am currently living with anxiety” positions anxiety as a condition the person coexists with, not as something that defines them. It shifts agency to how the person relates to the problem and enables discussion of strategies to manage it as an external influence.

In contrast, phrases like “I am anxious” tie the issue to the self, which blends the person with the problem and undermines that external perspective. The other options also frame the problem in relation to the self or as a force acting on life, rather than as a separate entity the person can relate to or negotiate with.