Counterfactual thinking primarily involves what process?

Counterfactual thinking primarily involves mentally changing aspects of the past. This cognitive process allows individuals to imagine alternative outcomes by altering certain events or decisions that have already occurred. For example, someone might think, "If I had studied harder for that test, I would have passed," which reflects a re-examination of past events and choices to consider how different actions could have led to different results.

This thinking can help people process experiences, learn from their mistakes, and sometimes motivate them to make different choices in the future. It is a way of engaging with the past to derive lessons or insights without changing the actual events that transpired. Thus, this process is central to counterfactual thinking, as it is specifically about reimagining what could have been rather than focusing on the present or future scenarios.