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Wishcasting

  • Writer: Deric Hollings
    Deric Hollings
  • 5 days ago
  • 7 min read

 

According to one source, wishcasting is defined as the “act of presenting a ‘wish’ as a ‘forecast’. It is a portmanteau [blending] of those two words.” For context, the American Psychological Association (APA) defines as wish as merely “any desire or longing.”

 

Also, in Is It Desire, or Is It Love? I said that “desire is to the mind a form of craving in relation to pleasure derived from possessing something (e.g., a desire for more information about REBT [Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy]).” Wishes and desires are often used synonymously.

 

Additionally, the APA defines wishful thinking as “a thought process in which one interprets a fact or reality according to what one wishes or desires it to be.” Given these matters of clarification, an example of wishcasting may occur in regard to the weather.

 

Living in Texas, it isn’t uncommon for me to hear people wishcasting for cooler weather during spring and summer. For instance, someone may say, “It’s gonna rain and cool things down,” when in actuality there’s apparently no evidence to support this form of wishcasting.

 

Concerning sociopolitical matters, an individual may believe, “I can hardly wait for elections, because whoever I vote for will change things,” when in reality there’s seemingly no evidence to sustain this type of wishcasting. Let’s examine one scenario that results in wishcasting behavior.

 

REBT uses the ABC model to illustrate that when an undesirable Action occurs and you Believe an unhelpful narrative about the event, it’s your unfavorable assumption, not the occurrence itself, that causes an unpleasant Consequence. This is known as distress or disturbance.

 

In particular, there are four predominate irrational beliefs which people often use to upset themselves: global evaluations, low frustration tolerance, awfulizing, and demandingness. When contemplating these unproductive beliefs, think of the acronym GLAD.

 

As an example, you’re dissatisfied with the current United States president (Action) and Believe, “Donald Trump is a piece of shit [G], and I can’t abide him [L], because he’s appalling [A], so I must vote for a Democrat next time [D],” as you then begin wishcasting (Consequence).

 

Angry in regard to your Belief-Consequence connection, you tell yourself, “I can hardly wait for midterms, because whoever I vote for will change things!” Thus, when using your unhelpful script, you self-disturb into a maladaptive emotional and behavioral outcome.

 

Addressing how people upset themselves with unhelpful attitudes, the ABC model incorporates Disputation of unproductive philosophies of life in order to explore Effective new beliefs. Whereas rigid beliefs cause self-disturbance, flexible beliefs result in an un-disturbed condition.

 

Noteworthy, the APA defines magical thinking as “the belief that events or the behavior of others can be influenced by one’s thoughts, wishes, or rituals. Magical thinking is typical of children up to 4 or 5 years of age, after which reality thinking begins to predominate.”

 

Although it’s relatively easy to attribute magical thinking to children, adults also engage in this form of nonsensical mental process when wishcasting – as evidenced by each midterm and general election season in our nation. Relevant to this topic, I stated in Magical Thinking:

 

If magical thinking leads to irrational hope that doesn’t result in despair, then there’s likely no foreseeable issue with believing in absurd rituals such as washing one’s hands in a river for success in business. After all, people irrationally believe in a great number of absurd claims.

 

If wishcasting about change in the government doesn’t cause self-disturbance (e.g., anger) when your preferred presidential candidate cannot prevail, then perhaps your irrational hope when doing so may result in self-distress (e.g., frustration). This is understandable.

 

However, it’s often the case that people inflexibly treat the irrational act of wishcasting as though it simply must result in one’s desired outcome while thereafter experiencing despair. Personally, I prefer not to engage in wacky behavior such as wishcasting.

 

Specifically, I know better than to foolishly believe that people can vote their way out of tyranny. That simply isn’t the way that life tends to function. Thus, I have no use for wishcasting. How about you? Do you irrationally believe that you can control weather or elections with wishes?

 

If you’re looking for a provider who tries to work to help understand how thinking impacts physical, mental, emotional, and behavioral elements of your life—helping you to sharpen your critical thinking skills, I invite you to reach out today by using the contact widget on my website.

 

As a psychotherapist, I’m pleased to try to help people with an assortment of issues ranging from anger (hostility, rage, and aggression) to relational issues, adjustment matters, trauma experience, justice involvement, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression, and other mood or personality-related matters.

 

At Hollings Therapy, LLC, serving all of Texas, I aim to treat clients with dignity and respect while offering a multi-lensed approach to the practice of psychotherapy and life coaching. My mission includes: Prioritizing the cognitive and emotive needs of clients, an overall reduction in client suffering, and supporting sustainable growth for the clients I serve. Rather than simply trying to help you to feel better, I want to try to help you get better!

 

 

Deric Hollings, LPC, LCSW


Photo credit, Designed by Freepik, fair use

 

References:

 

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