Name That Distortion 1
Thinking in extreme black-and-white terms; Not allowing yourself to seed the gray areas
"Polarized Thinking (Black-and-White Thinking)"
Give example(s) of how an "Emotional Reasoner" might think
"I feel guilty, and therefore I am guilty"
"I feel anxious, and therefore I am in danger"
"I feel overwhelmed and hopeless, therefore my problems must be impossible to solve"
"I feel inadequate, therefore I must be a worthless person."
Focusing only on the negative and ignoring all the positives; Taking the good in any situation and turning it into a negative
"Filtering"
Give example(s) of how a "Catastrophizer" might think
"If I don't get a perfect score on this test, I'll never succeed in school"
"If my partner forgets our anniversary, it means they don't love me anymore"
"If I get sick, I'll be bedridden for weeks and unable to work. I'll get fired and never find another job."
Agreeing to disagree is not an option and the mere thought of you being wrong is unacceptable
"Always Being Right"
Assuming the worse-case scenario by magnifying the negative and minimizing the positive
"Catastrophizing"
Give example(s) of how a "Labeler" might think
"I failed my test, I'm a failure"
Labeling yourself "incompetent" after making a small mistake at work
Calling a coworker "lazy" because they took a longer lunch break one day
Calling someone a "jerk" because they snapped at you once in a conversation, without considering other factors that might have contributed to their behavior
Assuming all experiences and people are the same based on one negative experience
"Overgeneralization"
Give example(s) of how a "Conclusion Jumper" might think
A friend doesn't text back immediately, so you assume they are angry with you and start to worry about the relationship, without considering other possible reasons like being busy or having forgotten to reply
The assumption that the world is fair; Can lead to negative feelings when faced with the realities that not all situations of life are fair
"Fallacy of Fairness"
Being convinced or something with little to no evidence to support it
"Jumping to Conclusions"
Give examples of how a "Should" stickler might think
"I should be able to handle this problem on my own"
"I should never make mistakes"
"Others should treat me a certain way"
Believing "If I feel it, then it must be true"
"Emotional Reasoning"
"People always take advantage of me"
"I'm gonna mess up every relationship"
"I have the worst luck in the world"
If we experience a relapse in our recovery we might not go back to treatment because we feel it will just happen again
The belief that one's struggle, one's suffering, and one's hard work will result in a just reward
"Heaven's Reward Fallacy"
Holding tight to your personal beliefs about how people should behave
"Shoulds"
Give example(s) of how a "Blamer" might think
"He makes me feel bad about myself"
"She makes me feel inadequate"
"It's not my fault I failed the test; the teacher didn't explain the material well enough"
"I didn't get the promotion because my boss doesn't like me, not because I didn't prepare for the interview or put in enough effort"
Generalizing one or two instances into an overall judgment, using exaggerated and emotionally loaded language
"Labeling/Mislabeling"
Give example(s) of how an "All-or-Nothing" thinking might think
"If I don't get an A in my exams, I'm a failure"
"The next-door neighbor parked in my spot, so they're a bad person"
"If I can't do it perfectly then I might as well not do it at all"
"If I have one cookie, I already failed my diet so I might as well eat the whole box"
Belief 1: I have no control over my life and am a helpless victim to all that has happened to me
Belief 2: I am in complete control of myself and all others around me, including their feelings
"Control Fallacy"
Believing that you are at least partially responsible for everything bad that happens around you
"Personalization"
Give example(s) of how a "Personalizer" might think
Feeling responsible for a family member's health issues, believing that if you had done something differently, they wouldn't be sick
Interpreting a friend's silence as a sign of disapproval or anger towards you, even if there could be other explanations
Holding others responsible for our emotional pain and problems we have
"Blaming"
Give example(s) of how a "Negative Filterer" might think
A student who earns mostly A's on their report card but receives a single B becomes convinced they are a bad student rather than celebrating their overall achievement.
An individual with chronic pain might focus only on the discomfort, ignoring any positive experiences they have had throughout the day
The assumption or expectation that others will change if we pressure or encourage them enough to. Usually accompanied by the belief that your success or happiness is dependent upon other people
"Fallacy of Change"