General
Define Cognitive Distortions
Cognitive distortions are misleading or irrational ways of thinking that can lead to negative emotions and behaviors. They are patterns of thinking that are inaccurate, biased, or exaggerated, and can often contribute to anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues.
Hyperfixate on negative aspects of the situation and ignore all the positive ones.
What is Filtering?
(E.g., You receive 9 compliments and 1 criticism, and only think about the criticism. Best day ever turns into worst day ever over 1 thing)
“Today is going to be a horrible day”
What is Fortune Telling?
Two different types of coping strategies you can use to cope with cognitive distortions
Use Socratic questioning
Use thought logs
Replace/Reframe thoughts with more balanced language
Name 2 causes of cognitive distortions
Core beliefs, Influences/Role Models, Anxiety, Societal expectations, Culture, Personality traits, Low self-esteem, Trauma, or Past Experiences
You take a single event or limited experience and assume it reflects a broader, ongoing pattern.
What is Overgeneralization?
"They didn’t reply to my message, so I must have upset them.”
“He did not smile when he passed me. He hates me”
What is Mind-reading?
This coping skill involves asking, “What evidence for and against this thought?”
What is reality testing?
Thinking fallacies, Faulty thinking, Cognitive errors, Mental traps
What are other terms for cognitive distortions?
Define All-or-Nothing / Dichotomous Thinking
Perceive situations or people on polar extremes. There is no middle ground. Either good or bad, failure or success
“My child is struggling in school because I’m a bad parent.”
What is Personalizing?
(Assume blame when not responsible)
Asking yourself for alternative explanations can combat what cognitive distortion?
What is mind-reading?
True or False: Cognitive distortions are intentional lies people tell themselves.
False. They are often automatic thought patterns that feel true in the moment.
Define Magnification & Minimization
Exaggerating the importance of negative events and downplaying positive ones.
(Daily Bonus: How are these Different from disqualifying the positive? Because it is still important, just small rather than reducing it to nothing. Size vs validity)
“Anyone could have done that, so it’s not really an achievement.”
“They said I did a good job, but they were just being
nice out of pitty”
“I only passed the test because it was easy.”
“The promotion was just luck"
What is Disqualifying the Positive?
What is one goal-directed thinking question you can ask yourself?
“Is thinking in this way helping me to feel good or my goals?”
“Does this thought serve me?”
“Is there something I can learn from this situation to help me do better next time?”
True or False: Negative thoughts or cognitive distortions lead to low mood and maladaptive behaviors
False, the relationship is reciprocal. Thoughts, Mood, and Behaviors impact each other
What is the difference between Overgeneralization and Labeling?
In labeling, you take a single behavior or event and turn it into a fixed identity or global judgment about yourself or someone else. Whereas, overgeneralization is not about identity but a pattern of events due to one event
Provide an example of Emotional Reasoning
Ideas:
“I feel anxious, so something bad must be about to happen.”
“I feel overwhelmed, so I can’t handle this.”
One question you can ask yourself if you are catastrophizing?
“Is this situation as bad as I am making it out to be?”
“What is the worst thing that could that could happen? How likely is it?”
“What is the most likely/ best thing to happen?”