What Are Cognitive Distortions?
Cognitive distortions are biased perspectives we take on ourselves and the world around us. They are irrational thoughts and beliefs that we unknowingly reinforce over time. These patterns of thought are often subtle–it’s difficult to recognize them when they are a regular feature of your day-to-day thoughts.
If you’re human, you have likely fallen for a few of the numerous cognitive distortions at one time or another.
1. All-Or-Nothing Thinking
This distortion involves perceiving situations in extreme, black-and-white terms without acknowledging the middle ground. For instance, an individual might view themselves as a total success or a complete failure, discounting any nuances in between.
Example:
“It’s impossible for me to connect with anyone.”
“I’m always alone and I never get to do things with friends.”
2. Overgeneralization
Here, individuals draw broad conclusions based on limited evidence. For example, after a single rejection, someone may conclude that they are always going to be unsuccessful.
Example:
You speak up at a team meeting, and your suggestions are not included in the project. You leave the meeting thinking, “That was a stupid idea, they didn't like it, why did I share it”
3. Mental Filtering or Negative Filtering
This distortion involves focusing exclusively on the negative aspects of a situation while filtering out any positive elements. It's akin to seeing only the rain clouds while ignoring the silver lining.
Example:
Your co-worker made a mistake, which caused you to miss a deadline. She apologized for it, but you still focused on the mistake despite all the times she actually helped you.
Your partner makes a mistake. When they try to make it up to you, you can only focus on what they did wrong instead of the nice things they’re doing now.
4. Discounting the Positive
When someone disqualifies positive experiences by insisting they "don't count" for various reasons, it diminishes the potential for constructive self-reflection and happiness.
Example:
If someone compliments the way you look today, you think they’re just being nice
Someone says you did something well and you respond with "anyone could have done it"
5. Mind Reading/ Fortune Telling / Jumping to conclusions
I can write an entire blog on this one, and maybe I will. But to sum it up this distortion encompasses two subtypes: mind reading (assuming what others are thinking) and fortune-telling (predicting negative outcomes without evidence). Both can lead to unnecessary anxiety and strain in relationships.
Example:
Your partner comes home looking serious. Instead of asking how they are, you immediately assume they’re mad at you. Consequently, you keep your distance. In reality, your partner had a bad day at work.
Someone snaps at you and you then assume that you've done something to upset them or deserve it.
6. Magnification or Minimization
This distortion involves blowing things out of proportion (making mountains out of molehills) or shrinking the importance of positive events. Catastrophizing can lead to unnecessary anxiety and stress.
Magnification: "I can't believe I forgot to turn in that report on time. My boss is going to be so mad and I'll probably get fired. My whole career is ruined."
Minimization: "I got a promotion at work, but it's probably just because the boss felt sorry for me. I'm not really that good at my job."
7. Emotional Reasoning
This occurs when an individual believes that their emotions reflect the way things truly are. For example, feeling unlovable leads to the belief that no one genuinely cares, despite evidence to the contrary. This can be positive or negative.
Positive emotional reasoning involves basing your judgments and conclusions on positive emotions (e.g., telling yourself that you will win a bet because you feel lucky), which can lead to unnecessary risk-taking.
Negative emotional reasoning involves basing your judgments and conclusions on negative emotions (e.g., telling yourself that you are worthless because you feel worthless), which can lead to withdrawal and unnecessary avoidance.
8. Should, Must, and Ought Statements
"Should" statements involve a rigid set of rules about how things should or ought to be. When these expectations aren't met, it can lead to feelings of frustration and disappointment.
Example:
“I should eat healthy all the time”
"They should be doing this"
9. Labeling
This distortion involves attaching global, negative labels to oneself or others based on specific behaviors. For instance, making a mistake might lead to labeling oneself as a "failure" rather than recognizing it as an isolated event.
Example:
"I failed a test, I'm not smart"
Another relationship ended "I'm bad at relationships"
Child got in trouble at school "I'm not a good parent"
10. Blaming
Making others responsible for the way you feel.
Example:
“You made me feel bad”
11. STUCK IN A SINGLE EVENT
Taking one experience and expecting all current and future situations to be similar.
Example:
“It was really hard to share my story, and the person I just disclosed my abuse to responded cruelly. I shouldn’t tell anyone about my abuse because they will have the same reaction.”
12. Catastrophizing
Catastrophizing is related to jumping to conclusions. In this case, you jump to the worst possible conclusion in every scenario, no matter how improbable it is. This cognitive distortion often comes with “what if” questions. Involves extensive and irrational worry over what might happen.
Example:
After breaking their diet for a cookie, a person believes they are a total failure at dieting and destined to be overweight forever.
After experiencing consistent headaches over the course of a week, a person believes they are suffering from a brain tumor.
13. Personalization/ Control fallacy
Personalization leads you to believe that you’re responsible for events that, in reality, are completely or partially out of your control. You either feel responsible or in control of everything in your and other people’s lives, or you feel you have no control at all over anything in your life.
Example:
Your friend/child/person gets in an accident and you blame yourself "if only I'd gone with them." "if I'd driven," "if I would have picked up the phone" maybe this wouldn't have
How do you challenge and change cognitive distortions?
These skewed and biased thoughts are likely to increase a persons feelings of depression and lead to negative behavioral responses.
An important part of disarming our cognitive distortions is simply being aware of them and paying attention to how we are framing things to ourselves. Good mental habits are as important as good physical habits. If we frame things in a healthy, positive way, we almost certainly will experience less anxiety and isolation. This doesn't mean that we ignore problems, challenges, or feelings, just that we approach them with a can-do attitude instead of letting our thoughts and feelings amplify our negative thoughts.
To treat and manage cognitive distortions, a person has to learn to restructure their thought patterns and responses to stimuli. While this is difficult, with commitment, it is possible to change cognitive distortions. CBT therapy can be a useful therapy to help reconize and reframe your way of thinking.
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