Name that Distortion
Assuming you know what others are thinking without evidence.
What is mind reading?
“They didn’t text back—they must be mad at me.”
What is mind reading?
Believing that having a thought is the same as acting on it.
What is thought-action fusion?
“I should always be strong and never need help.”
What are should statements?
Instead of mind reading, you could do this to verify what someone thinks.
What is asking directly (or checking the evidence)?
Believing you can predict the future.
What is fortune telling?
“I’m definitely going to fail this test.”
What is fortune telling?
Linking unrelated events as cause and effect.
What is magical thinking?
Comparing your worst moments to someone else’s best moments.
What is unfair comparisons?
To challenge fortune telling, ask this about your prediction.
What is “What evidence do I have this will happen?”
Seeing things in all-or-nothing, absolute terms.
What is black and white thinking?
“If I mess this up, it will be unbearable and ruin everything.”
What is cost overestimation?
Rejecting evidence that contradicts your belief (“They’re just being nice”).
What is inability to disconfirm?
Thinking checking something repeatedly will prevent disaster.
What is overestimation of responsibility?
To counter black-and-white thinking, recognize this.
What is a spectrum or middle ground?
Believing a feared outcome is far more likely than it really is.
What is probability overestimation?
“I tried once and couldn’t make friends, so I never will.”
What is overgeneralizing?
Believing anxiety will be overwhelming or dangerous.
What is overestimation of anxiety response?
Avoiding something because you think anxiety will be unbearable.
What is overestimation of anxiety response?
To challenge low self-efficacy, focus on this.
What are past coping successes (or coping skills)?
Believing you have more responsibility or control over events than you actually do.
What is overestimation of responsibility?
“I feel like I’m doing badly, so I must be doing badly.”
What is emotional reasoning?
Believing you won’t be able to handle a situation.
What is low self-efficacy?
Refusing to believe positive feedback about your performance.
What is inability to disconfirm?
This is the overall psychological skill of identifying, questioning, and changing distorted thoughts into more balanced ones.
What is cognitive restructuring?