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Maria is taking a challenging math class. She studies hard for her first exam and gets a B. Most of her answers are correct, and her teacher notes her progress, but Maria doesn't feel proud.
Instead, she tells herself, "I didn't get an A, so I failed. This proves I'm bad at math."
All-or-nothing thinking
This type of thinking involves viewing things in absolute terms. Everything is black or white, everything or nothing. Maria interprets things as either a success or a failure.
Jordan is at work and sends an email update to his team. He notices after he sent the email that he attached the wrong attachment. He immediately thinks, "This is a disaster. Everyone is going to think I'm dumb. My boss is probably furious. I might get written up!"
Catastrophizing (Magnification)
Jordan takes the small mistake in his email and imagines extreme outcomes that don't match the situation. His emotional reaction is bigger than the event.
Negative Filter
Elliot filters out the positive information and only pays attention to the negatives.
Sophia gets a B on her test. She's proud because she studied hard, but sees that Mack got an A. She starts thinking, "He's so much smarter than me. Why can't I be as smart as him?"
Unfair Comparisons
Sophia compares herself to someone in a way that isn't looking at the whole picture. She focuses on someone else's successes and measures her own worth against it.
Henry hit a home run during the last inning of a baseball game and was able to win the game for his team. When his teammates celebrated him, Henry felt guilty for striking out earlier in the game. He tells them, "Yeah, it's not that big of a deal, the game would not have been that close if I didn't strike out earlier."
Discounting Positives
Ben becomes terribly upset when he notices that his tire is flat. He tells himself, "Just my luck! Bad things like this are always happening to me."
Overgeneralization
It happens when you make a rule after a single event or a series of coincidences. The words "always" or "never" frequently appear in the sentence.
Lena gets invited to a friend's birthday party. She normally enjoys seeing her friends, but is feeling anxious and insecure today. She worries she won't know what to say. As she is getting ready, she thinks to herself, "I feel anxious, so the party will go badly. I feel so awkward, I know I'm going to act awkward."
Emotional Reasoning
A way of judging yourself or your circumstances based on your emotions. You assume that your negative emotions reflect the way things really are.
Ashley wakes up late and doesn't have time to pick the perfect outfit. She throws on something comfortable and goes to school. When she gets to her first class, she thinks, "I look like a slob today. People are going to think I don't care how I look."
Judgement Focus
Ashley turns a normal situation into a judgment about herself, labeling herself as "bad" or "wrong".
Bianca posted a selfie on Instagram because she liked her new outfit. One of her followers commented saying that her outfit is not in style. Bianca ends up deleting that picture and now wants to get rid of her whole wardrobe and buy new clothes since she is not fashionable at all.
All-or-Nothing
Luna forgot to return a book to the library before the due date and when she got a fine in the mail, she kept repeating in her head that she is such an idiot for forgetting to return one book on time.
Labeling
Cynthia has to give a presentation to her colleagues at work. She gets sad because she knows she is going to do terrible even though she is prepared for it.
Future Telling
The expectation that a situation will turn out badly without adequate evidence.
Cheryl has difficulty completing her work at school and often tells herself, "I really should be able to get this done, it's not that hard. There must be something wrong with me."
"Should" Statements
You interpret things as how they "should" be rather than looking at it from a more realistic point of view.
Jordan was invited to hang out with his friends, but he is feeling overwhelmed and wants to relax. He decides to skip out, but later that night thinks, "I shouldn't have skipped. Now I'll let my friends down. I regret not going - I should've pushed myself to go."
Regret Orientation
He is stuck thinking about what he should have done, feeling guilt and regret, instead of focusing on the present moment, and keeps replaying his choice over and over again.
Anne has had a long day at work and when she got home, she raises her voice at her kids for not taking out the chicken from the freezer. She does not often yell at her kids. She feels guilty and thinks to herself, "I wish I did not yell at them."
Regret Orientation
It's the week of Bryce's birthday and he's starting to feel under the weather. He is getting upset because he was in the hospital last year on his birthday and couldn't do anything. He says to his mom, "I always get sick on my birthday! It's not fair. Why is this always happening to just me?"
Overgeneralization
Joel was awarded employee of the month due to being the salesperson with the most customers that month. When his co-workers complimented his work ethic, Joel responded by making comments like, "It's really not that big of a deal. Anyone could do what I did."
Discounting Positives
This is a cognitive distortion that involves ignoring or invalidating good things that have happened to you.
Shannon is falling behind on her school work because she is feeling overwhelmed with family things. Her teacher pulls her aside after class and is understanding of her late work. He asks that she keeps him updated on her situation and gives her extensions.
After her conversation, Shannon thinks to herself, "I'm such an idiot. I'm just lazy. I totally screwed this up."
Labeling
Instead of seeing the event as a single behavior in a stressful week, Shannon turns it into a global, negative label about herself.
Lucy is going to a school dance this weekend. As she is preparing, she keeps thinking, "What if I trip on the dance floor? Or if no one wants to dance with me? Or I say something embarrassing?"
What If
Lucy is focused on all the possible negative outcomes in the future, imagining worst-case scenarios, instead of considering what is likely or how to handle challenges.
Reese has been struggling with acne her whole life. When it came time for homecoming, she had a few new breakouts and wanted to stay home from the dance. When her mom tried to usher her to go, she said, "I can't go when I have this! These zits make me so hideous!"
James just finished a project at school and his teacher gave him this feedback: "Great work and creativity! Just make sure to check your citations next time." James immediately thinks, "I messed up again. I can't do anything right."
Negative Filter
Chad has a crush on this girl that he sees every day at the coffee shop on his way to work. He decides that he won't speak to her or ask her out on a date. Instead he thinks, "She probably thinks I'm ugly. She would never date someone like me".
Mind Reading
Chad is assuming what she is thinking without any proof of her thoughts.
Maya immediately thinks, "They're quiet because my idea was bad. I must have explained it terribly."
Personalization
Maya interpreted the situation as a direct reflection of her, taking the blame and responsibility for things outside her control.
Alex posts a selfie on social media. A few friends like it, and one leaves a positive comment. Despite this, Alex thinks, "Nobody likes me. I'm unpopular."
Inability to Disconfirm
Even though there is evidence that friends do like him, he ignores it and only focuses on the fact that a small number of people liked his post. He cannot accept any evidence that contradicts his negative belief.
Darlene came into work one morning and had a note on her desk to speak to her supervisor as soon as possible. She began to panic and think: "Is she mad at me? What does she want to talk to me about? I am sure I'm getting fired! Then I'll lose my house since I can't pay the bills!"
Catastrophizing
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Miranda was told by her boyfriend, Josh, that he would be calling her at 3 PM after he gets off work. It is now almost 3:10 PM and he hasn't called. "It's been almost ten minutes! I bet he's cheating on me with that one co-worker of his."
Catastrophizing or Mind Reading
Interpreting the meaning of a situation when there is little to no evidence. Interpreting things negatively when there are no facts to support that conclusion.