Cognitive Distortions 1
You assume you know what people thinking without having evidence or proof of their thoughts
What is Mindreading?
This is when we see things in black and white categories. There is no grey area.
What is Black or White Thinking?
"I will never be happy"
What is "I may be unhappy now but that will pass." or "I have been happy before and I will be happy again." ?
"They broke up with me last night. Now I'll never meet anyone."
What is "black or white thinking" or "overgeneralization"?
"I should have just said this instead of that..."
What is "judging" ?
This is when we see a single negative event as a part of a never-ending streak of failure. We use words like "always," "never," "everybody".
What is Overgeneralization?
This is when we apply simplistic and unfair definitions that are probably wrong or more likely incomplete on ourselves and others. (An extreme form of overgeneralization)
What is labeling?
"I should give my friend money because he asked me for it."
What is "I wish I could loan him money but I cannot afford it." or "I want to give my friend money because it makes me feel good and I have enough to spare." ?
"They did not say anything about my new haircut. They must think it is ugly!"
What is "mindreading"?
"I already know she is going to say no, so I am not even going to ask."
What is "forecasting"?
This happens when we blow a negative event out of proportion.
What is "magnification" or "catastrophizing" ?
This is when we anticipate that things will turn out badly and act as if they already turned out that way.
What is "forecasting" ?
"They didn't say Hi to me this morning so they must be mad at me for something I did."
What is "There are many reasons why they did not say Hi to me. It's probably not personal." or "I will check in with them later and make sure everything is ok" ?
"He is moving to a new apartment because he does not like having me as a neighbor."
What is "self-blaming" or "personalization"?
“If I make a bad grade then I will never get into a good college.”
What is "catastrophizing" or "magnification"?
This is when we look at our strengths and trivialize them.
What is "minimization" ?
When you insist that positives don’t count for some reason or another
What is "discounting the positive" ?
"I know I am going to have a panic attack when I go the party tomorrow so I should just cancel my plans now."
What is "I can practice my coping skills if I start to feel anxious and I can leave the party if I start to panic. But I can at least give it a try." or "I have been to these types of parties before and I have never had a panic attack. I will probably be fine." ?
"I know she complimented me on my new outfit but she was just being nice."
What is "discounting the positives" ?
“I’m disgusting.”
What is "mislabeling" ?
This is when we pick out one negative detail in a situation and dwell on it exclusively.
What is "mental filtering" ?
You let your feelings guide your interpretation of reality.
What is "feelings are facts"?
"I have had a headache for two days. I must have a brain tumor."
What is "Headaches are common and happen occasionally. There is no need to worry." or "If my headache doesn't go away in a day I will make an appointment with my PCP to check it out." or "I am under a lot of stress and my body is probably telling me I need to take it easy." ?
"My boss gave me my year end review and I got a great raise. They did tell me I could improve communication. I'm doing a horrible job."
What is "mental filtering" ?
"They are never there for me and always do this to me. This is why I am in such a tough spot."
What is "blaming" ?