Name That Distortion
Kris and Ryan are walking down the street when it starts to rain. Neither one has an umbrella. Kris turns to Ryan and says, "If you hadn't distracted me on our way out the door, I wouldn't have forgotten my umbrella!"
Blaming
Katie does not get asked out to the dance. She immediately thinks she will never have a boyfriend, will never find love, and will be lonely for ever morrrreee!
Catastrophizing.
Someone who has depression is most likely to have which of the following distortions?
A. Blaming
B. Downplaying the Positives
C. Labeling
Downplaying the Positives
True or False: Having a cognitive distortion means you will definitely engage in bad behavior.
False. The most important thing is to notice a cognitive distortion, and then you can choose how you want to behave. Awareness is key!
Kendra feels disappointed by something her friend Phil did. Her initial thought is, "She's a bad friend, why do I even hang out with her."
What would be a more helpful thought?
A. I don't need friends anyway. I'll just be alone!"
B. I feel disappointed, but Phil is usually a good friend. Nobody is perfect.
C. I should block him online.
I feel disappointed, but Phil is usually a good friend. Nobody is perfect.
Dana styles her hair differently than usual. Dana's mom compliments it. Dana thinks to herself, "She's just saying that to be nice and because she's my mom."
Downplay the Positives
Ben loses his temper and screams at his sister and punches a hole in the wall. Afterwards, he tells himself, "I am a 'problem child'" and "I am 'bad' kid."
Labeling
Someone with anxiety is most likely to have which of the following distortions?
A. Blaming
B. Labeling
C. Catastrophizing
Catastrophizing.
Valerie's friend canceled their plans last minute. Valerie tells herself, "Nobody cares about me, I have no friends, and I will be lonely for the rest of my life." What might Valerie do next?
A. Call another friends and make plans
B. Hide under the covers and cry
C. Reschedule with her friend for a different time
Hide under the covers and cry
Jake goes to play the Playstation, and it's not working. The last person to use the Playstation was Bob. Jake automatically thinks, "This was all Bob's fault!"
What would be a more helpful thought?
- "It was no one's fault."
- "Sometimes technology stops working for no reason."
- "Oh man, I better tell staff so that they can fix it!"
Travis doesn't make earner status. He tells himself, "I'm never going to make earner, I'm never going to get to visit my family or do anything fun, and I'm going to be stuck inside these walls until I'm 18!"
Catastrophizing
Melanie and Sarah discuss possible plans for the weekend. They both want to see a new movie that is coming out Friday. Sarah says she will get back to Melanie about which day she is free. She doesn't get back to her, and they don't see the movie. Melanie thinks, "Sarah does not want to be my friend anymore."
Mind Reading
Matt did not make earner status. He has the thought, "It's all because staff have it out for me. They just want to get in my way." Which emotion is Matt probably feeling?
A. Motivated
B. Discouraged and angry
C. Excited
Discouraged and angry
Travis is walking down the hall with his school books. Devon rushes by and bumps into him, knocking his books out of his hands. Travis thinks, "He did that on purpose! What a jerk!"
What might Travis do next?
A. Run after Devon and yell at him
B. Calmly pick up the books
C. Apologize to Devon for being in the way
Run after Devon and yell at him
Rachel is not allowed to go on the class field trip because she got in trouble. She thinks, "This is totally unfair, school sucks. I give up."
What would be a more helpful thought?
- "There will be other field trips."
- "I can do better and not get in trouble."
- "I can learn from my mistakes."
- "It's not the end of the world, and school is not always bad."
Denier
Kelsey is wants to audition for the school play but at the last minute, she tells herself, "There's no point. I'm not going to get a part anyway."
Fortune Telling.
Marcus raised his hand in class and the teacher did not call on him. He thinks "Mr. Smith hates me and thinks I'm stupid." Marcus might feel:
a) Sad
b) Discouraged
c) Angry
d) All of the above
D
Emma is in a family therapy session with her foster parent. She has the thought, "My foster parent NEVER understands me and NEVER will." She is most likely to respond by:
a) Continuing to engage openly in the family session.
b) Shutting down.
c) Apologizing to her foster parent for past mistakes.
B
Jesse was having a pretty good day. Then, he received corrective feedback from staff and felt ashamed. He told himself, "This is the worst day ever."
What would be a more helpful thought?
-"This was a pretty good day overall."
-"I can learn from this feedback."
-"I don't have to let this ruin my day."
-"They are just trying to help."
Jeremy is house sitting for his neighbors while they are out of town. While he is there, the house gets burglarized and a TV gets stolen, even though he locked the doors. He says, "This is all my fault. They should never have trusted me in the first place." He feels incredibly guilty.
Blaming
*The cognitive distortion, blaming, can apply to others and the self.
Derek gets corrective feedback from his Dad. He gets upset and tells his Dad, "I NEVER make you proud, no what what I do!"
All or Nothing Thinking (or Black and White Thinking)
True or false: When you use helpful thinking instead of distorted thinking, you will immediately feel happy and all bad/uncomfortable emotions go away.
False
You may still feel a bit disappointed, irritated, or sad but your emotion will likely be less intense than it was with distorted thinking.
Name one time when you acted on a cognitive distortion and it led to unhelpful behavior. Name the distortion AND the behavior.
Accurately names distortion and describes behavior.
What makes thinking "helpful" ?
a) It makes it more likely you'll achieve your goal
b) It makes it more likely you'll behave based on your values.
c) It is 100% accurate or true
d) Both a and b
D