Reality testing

Reality testing is the psychotherapeutic function by which the objective or real world and one's relationship to it are reflected on and evaluated by the observer. This process of distinguishing the internal world of thoughts and feelings from the external world is a technique commonly used in psychoanalysis and behavior therapy, and was originally devised by Sigmund Freud.
Purpose
Within psychotherapy and counseling settings, practitioners use reality testing to influence the patient or client to recognize his or her negative thoughts, evaluate the thoughts logically rather than emotionally, and then determine whether the thoughts are valid or based upon conventional reality. The focus of reality testing is not necessarily concentrated on the source of the behavior or thought, but rather on the fact that current thoughts are occurring and influencing behaviors in the here-and-now. After undergoing this technique, the patient or client is often...