THINKING ERRORS 1
All or Nothing Thinking
Seeing things as either all good OR all bad. It’s either one extreme or the other, there are NO gray areas
aka: Black & White Thinking
Fortune Telling
You predict the future negatively without considering other, more likely outcomes.
“It’s terrible that I made a mistake; I should always do my best.” “You shouldn’t be so upset.”
"Should" Statements
“I’m definitely going to fail my test,” or “If I tell her that, she’ll hate me forever.”
Fortune Telling
I will never find another job.
Catastrophizing.
Challenge the thinking: Is it true? Have you had a hard time finding a job. (CHECK THE FACTS).
Negative Labeling
Assigning a label to others based on behavior in a specific situation. Having a negative belief about yourself and thinking it applies to everything you do.
Mind Reading
You believe you know what other people are thinking, even without asking.
“He clearly doesn’t think I will do a good job.”
Mind Reading
Cindy asked me to make cookies for the church. I agreed, but now I regret it.
People Pleasing
"I didn't do anything wrong."
Minimization.
"I could have been softer." "I could have said that differently." What is my part? (FAST SKILL).
Catastrophizing
Making a really big deal out of something small or making something a little bit bad seem like the worst thing ever.
aka: Magnification
People Pleasing
People-pleasing is where you prioritize others' approval over your own needs and feelings, often struggling to say 'no'. A person feels a strong urge to please others, even at their own expense. It stems from a belief that you must please others to maintain your self-worth.
aka: Self-sacrificing
“I feel stupid; therefore I am stupid.” “I dread school, so it’s a bad idea to go.”
Feelings as Facts
‘I have a lump in my breast, and I will die from cancer.’
Catastrophizing
People are either hyperactive and all over the place or doped up on Adderall.
Black and White Thinking.
There are a lot of people in the middle I am not considering.
Minimizing
You tell yourself that the positive experiences, actions, or qualities do not count.
aka: Ignoring the Good & Disqualifying the positives.
Feelings as Facts
You start thinking your emotions are fact. “I feel . . . ; therefore, it is. I feel like she hates me; therefore, she does.”
aka: Emotional Reasoning
‘I lost a game and that makes me a loser.’ ‘I made a bad decision and that makes me a bad person.’
Negative Labeling
“I did well in that one basketball game because I just got lucky.”
Minimization (Ignoring the Good).
I feel like I'm in love with them even thought they don't treat me well and are sometimes mean to me or distant
Feelings as Facts.
Am I in love with them or what I want them to be? (Checking the Facts).
Blaming (self or others)
Blaming assigns responsibility for your feelings or problems to others, often to avoid solving the issue. Also, making someone feel guilty for making a choice you disagree with.
"Should" Statements
You “should” on yourself or someone else by having a fixed idea of how you or others should behave, and you overestimate how bad it will be if these expectations are not met.
‘The only reason I got an F is because of the teacher.’
Blaming (others).
If you’re not perfect, you’re a total loser.
If you don’t get everything you want, it feels like you got nothing.
Black & White Thinking (All or Nothing).
I have this offense and now no one will have anything to do with me.
Negative Labeling.
I have an offense, but those who know me know this behavior does NOT define me (Wise Mind).