What's the Word?
This distortion involves viewing situations in extremes, like “perfect” or “a total failure.”
What is all-or-nothing thinking?
What is emotional reasoning?
This distortion occurs when you assume your emotions reflect reality — “I feel it, so it must be true.”
You forget your lines in a presentation and think, “I’m so stupid.”
What is labeling?
"My boss didn’t say hi today. I must be getting fired."
What is distorted?
"I made one mistake, so I’m useless."
"I made a mistake, but that doesn’t define my worth."
This distortion is when you assume you know what someone else is thinking, especially if it’s negative.
What is mind reading?
What is personalization?
This happens when you take responsibility for things that are outside of your control.
You assume your friend is mad because they used a period in their text.
What is mind reading?
"I studied hard, so I have a good chance of doing well."
What is realistic?
"They didn’t wave at me; they must hate me."
"Maybe they didn’t see me or were distracted."
This involves predicting something will go badly without evidence, like expecting failure before trying.
What is fortune telling?
What is overgeneralization?
This involves viewing a negative event as part of a never-ending pattern of defeat.
After a disagreement, you think, “Our whole friendship is fake.”
What is catastrophizing or overgeneralization?
"They didn’t text back. They must hate me."
What is distorted?
"If I’m not the best, I’m nothing."
"Doing my best is enough, even if I'm not perfect."
This is when you dwell only on the negative aspects of a situation, ignoring any positives.
What is mental filtering?
What is disqualifying the positive?
This is when you reject positive experiences by insisting they “don’t count.”
You focus only on the one negative comment in a sea of compliments.
What is mental filtering?
"It’s okay to make mistakes; everyone does sometimes."
What is realistic?
"I always mess things up."
"I’ve messed up before, but I’ve also succeeded."
This is when you attach a harsh, broad label to yourself or someone else based on one event.
What is labeling?
What is magnification (catastrophizing) or minimization?
This distortion is when you exaggerate the importance of problems or flaws, or minimize your strengths.
You get nervous about a job interview and think, “I’ll definitely blow it.”
What is fortune telling?
"I haven’t heard from my friend in a few days, I must have done something wrong."
What is distorted?
"I can’t handle this anxiety."
"This feels overwhelming, but I’ve managed before and can again."