In a scenario where a person compares their past failures with a current challenge in a negative light, which reasoning error is likely present?

The reasoning error present in the scenario where a person compares their past failures with a current challenge in a negative light is a hasty generalization. This cognitive error occurs when someone draws a broad conclusion based on insufficient or unrepresentative evidence. In this case, the person is using their past failures, which may be isolated incidents, to form a generalized negative expectation about their current abilities or potential outcomes. This leads to an unfair assessment of the current challenge, as it overlooks other factors that may be different from past experiences and may not accurately reflect their present capabilities or the specifics of the current situation. Hasty generalization can result in pessimism and a lack of motivation, as it distorts the individual's view of their situation by overly relying on limited past experiences.