Cognitive Distortions
Seeing only the worst possible outcomes of a situation.
What is catastrophizing?
Interpreting the thoughts and beliefs of others without adequate evidence.
What is mind reading
When your mind decreases the importance of your desirable qualities and positive experiences.
What is minimizing.
A skill that allows you notice the thoughts and situations that spark negative feelings and states of mind.
The act of defining a problem; determining the cause of the problem; identifying, prioritizing, and selecting alternatives for a solution; and implementing a solution.
What is problem-solving
Recognizing only the negative aspects of a situation while ignoring the positive.
What is disqualifying the positive
The expectation that a situation will turn out badly without adequate evidence.
Exaggerating the importance of your struggles, problems, and shortcomings.
What is magnification
A method to find out where and how your automatic thoughts are biased or illogical. Ex: Is this thought based on emotion or facts? What evidence is there that this thought is accurate?
What is questioning your assumptions/challenging the maladaptive thought
Strategies that can help a person manage their traumatic memories or strong emotions. The purpose is to allow a person to step away from negative thoughts or flashbacks.
What are grounding techniques
The assumption that emotions reflect the way things really are.
What is emotional reasoning
What is "should" statement
The belief that one is responsible for events outside of their own control.
What is personalization
A practice that involves coming up with other explanations that are rational and positive to replace the distortions that have been adopted over time.
What is generating alternatives
When you attain information that is for or against your thoughts, assumptions, and beliefs to determine how rational they are.
What is gathering evidence.
You see things in only two categories and think in absolute ways. If a situation falls short of perfect, you see it as a total failure.
What is all-or-nothing thinking (black-or-white)
Seeing a single or few negative events as a never ending pattern of defeat, or making broad and negative interpretations from the event(s).
What is overgeneralizing
When you label other people or circumstances as the source of the problem without seeing how you may be contributing.
A technique to deconstruct unhelpful thoughts and rebuild them in a more balanced and accurate way.
What is cognitive restructuring
What does it mean to be a “failure” or "insecure"? By revisiting the labels that you apply to yourself and others, it becomes easier to see that a feeling, event or situation is not indicative of your character—or a person as a whole.
Interpreting the meaning of a situation negatively with little to no evidence.
The belief that acts will influence unrelated situations.
What is magical thinking
A cognitive distortion in which people reduce themselves or other people to a single - usually negative - characteristic or descriptor.
What is labeling
Using this strategy, you would consider the advantages and disadvantages of maintaining a certain cognitive distortion. Ex: What does this thought pattern cost you emotionally and practically speaking? What are the long-term effects? How does this thought pattern limit me?
What is cost-benefit analysis or pros and cons list
The goal of this treatment for depression is to gradually decrease the individuals avoidance and isolation and increase their engagement in activities that have been shown to improve mood and activities that they enjoyed before becoming depressed.
What is behavioral activation