ABSTRACT
The modi®cation of positive metacognitive beliefs plays an integral role in MCT for all emotional disorders, as these beliefs lead the person to maintain an unhelpful coping strategy in response to unwanted thoughts and/or feelings. This can be exempli®ed in the case of GAD. An intrusive thought occurs, often in the form of a ``what if'' question (such as, ``What if I fail my test?''). At this point, a person usually has a wide array of responses that can be implemented in response to this intrusion, including: (1) worrying about failing the test and the implications of failure, (2) trying to suppress the intrusive thought, (3) mental distraction, e.g. thinking about something else instead or counting backwards, (4) physical distraction, or (5) detached mindfulness, as will be seen in Point 25. However, in GAD worry is most commonly sustained as a strategy because positive metacognitive beliefs are activated about the need to worry in order to cope effectively.
