Thinking Styles 1
Guessing the meaning of a situation with little to no evidence.
Jumping to conclusions (also called fortune telling)
Thinking in extremes such as "always," "never," or "every."
All-or-nothing thinking
"They never let me do what I want. It's so unfair!"
All-or-nothing thinking
“I forgot one assignment. Now my grade is ruined and my future is basically over.”
Catastrophizing and all-or-nothing thinking
Another name for jumping to conclusions.
Fortune telling
Assuming that emotions reflect the way things really are.
Emotional reasoning
Focusing on only the negative aspects of a situation while ignoring the positive.
Disqualifying the positive
“I should understand this right away.”
"Should" statements
“If I read out loud and mess up, everyone will laugh and I’ll never have friends.”
Catastrophizing and all-or-nothing thinking
“I messed up, so I’m bad at this.”
What is a better way to think about this?
“I made a mistake, but I can improve with practice.”
Seeing only the worst possible outcomes of a situation.
Catastrophizing
Overgeneralization
“My teacher looked at me weird—she thinks I’m annoying.”
Mind reading
"The teacher corrected me in class. That was so embarrassing. Everyone thinks I’m stupid now."
Mind Reading and personalization
“If I fail this, everything is over.”
What is a better way to think about this?
“This matters, but one outcome doesn’t decide everything.”
Guessing the thoughts and beliefs of others without adequate evidence.
Mind reading
"Should" statements
“I got 4 questions right, but I messed up 1—so today was bad.”
Disqualifying the positive
“I got one question wrong on the test. I’m so dumb. I always mess everything up.”
Overgeneralization and labeling
“That was so awkward. I ruined everything.”
What is a better way to think about this?
“It felt awkward, but that doesn’t mean it went badly overall.”
Exaggerating the importance of events.
Magnification
Minimizing the importance of events.
Minimization
“I feel nervous, so something bad is going to happen.”
Emotional reasoning
“I didn’t get picked for the group. No one ever wants me.”
Overgeneralizing and all-or-nothing thinking
“Everyone else is better than me.”
What is a better way to think about this?
“People have different strengths, and I’m still learning.”