Psychological analysis

 

Here is a list of 100 command prompts designed to guide a comprehensive psychological analysis, broken down by domain. These can be applied to a person (in a clinical, professional, or fictional context), a case study, or a text.

1. Behavioral Analysis (The "What")

• 1. Log the frequency, duration, and intensity of [target behavior].

• 2. Identify the antecedents (triggers) for [behavior].

• 3. Identify the consequences (payoffs or punishments) of [behavior].

• 4. Map the complete "behavioral chain" for a problematic action.

• 5. List all identified avoidance behaviors.

• 6. Document all observable routines, rituals, and habits.

• 7. Compare and contrast stated intentions with actual, observable behaviors.

• 8. Differentiate between impulsive behaviors (unplanned) and compulsive behaviors (ritualistic).

• 9. Analyze non-verbal communication (e.g., posture, eye contact, gestures) for congruence with verbal content.

• 10. Analyze verbal behavior, including tone, pace, volume, and prosody.

• 11. Identify all "safety behaviors" used to manage anxiety (e.g., checking phone, over-preparing).

2. Cognitive Analysis (The "Thinking")

• 12. Identify and list all stated cognitive distortions (e.g., all-or-nothing, catastrophizing, mind-reading).

• 13. Extract all Automatic Negative Thoughts (ANTs).

• 14. Formulate the individual's "Cognitive Triad":

  • a. Core beliefs about the Self (e.g., "I am...").

  • b. Core beliefs about the World (e.g., "People are...").

  • c. Core beliefs about the Future (e.g., "It will...").

• 15. Analyze the individual's attributional style (internal vs. external, stable vs. unstable).

• 16. Evaluate the logic and coherence of the individual's narrative.

• 17. Identify dominant cognitive biases (e.g., confirmation bias, hindsight bias, availability heuristic).

• 18. Assess problem-solving strategies (e.g., active, avoidant, analytical).

• 19. Analyze the content, themes, and goals of stated fantasies or daydreams.

• 20. Evaluate metacognition (the individual's awareness of their own thought patterns).

• 21. Assess for cognitive "fusion" (the inability to separate thoughts from reality or self).

• 22. Identify and challenge a "should" statement (e.g., "I should always be...")

• 23. Assess for memory biases (e.g., rosy retrospection, negativity bias).

3. Emotional & Affective Analysis (The "Feeling")

• 24. Identify the dominant baseline mood (e.g., euthymic, dysthymic, anxious, irritable).

• 25. Assess the range of emotional expression (e.g., broad, restricted, blunted, flat).

• 26. Assess the lability of affect (how quickly emotions shift).

• 27. Evaluate the congruence between stated emotion and observed affect.

• 28. Identify primary emotional triggers for [joy, anger, sadness, fear].

• 29. List all documented emotional regulation strategies (e.g., suppression, expression, reframing).

• 30. Identify any secondary emotions (e.g., feeling shame *about* feeling angry).

• 31. Assess for alexithymia (the difficulty in identifying and describing one's own emotions).

• 32. Analyze the individual's "emotional vocabulary" and its precision.

• 33. Identify the primary approach vs. avoidance motivation (moving toward reward vs. away from threat).

• 34. Assess the individual's tolerance for ambiguity and uncertainty.

4. Personality & Trait Analysis (The "Who")

• 35. Map the individual onto the Big Five personality traits:

  • a. Openness to Experience (high/low).

  • b. Conscientiousness (high/low).

  • c. Extraversion (high/low).

  • d. Agreeableness (high/low).

  • e. Neuroticism (high/low).