Maladaptive Daydreaming and Wishful Thinking as Cognitive Predictors of Occupational Frustration: A Psychological Case Study

This case study examines a persistent cognitive-emotional cycle in which vivid, positively charged mental imagery—initially intended to motivate performance—paradoxically becomes associated with task failure and occupational frustration. The subject, through prolonged self-observation, reports a recurring pattern wherein imagined success precedes underperformance, gradually forming an internal belief that hopeful anticipation leads to disappointment. This maladaptive association appears to stem from a mismatch between idealized internal simulations and real-world outcomes, fostering emotional fatigue, behavioral hesitation, and diminished self-efficacy. By integrating insights from cognitive psychology and affective neuroscience, this study highlights the counterproductive effects of excessively idealized mental imagery, challenging the assumption that positive visualization is uniformly beneficial. The findings underscore the need to differentiate between adaptive and maladaptive forms of cognitive anticipation in both clinical and everyday contexts.