Cognitive Distortions
Personalisation
Personalising behavior is a tendency to take responsibility for things that are not entirely or even remotely your fault.
It involves attributing negative events to yourself without sufficient evidence, often resulting in feelings of guilt, shame, or inadequacy.
Personalising behaviour can lead to low self-esteem, anxiety, and depression.
Solutions to Personalisation
Catastrophising
Catastrophizing is a tendency to expect the worst-case scenario in any situation.
It involves imagining or predicting catastrophic outcomes without sufficient evidence, often leading to heightened anxiety or fear.
Catastrophizing can contribute to chronic stress, emotional overwhelm, and reduced problem-solving ability.
Catastrophising Solutions
Fortune Telling
Fortune telling is a tendency to predict negative outcomes without evidence.
It involves assuming the future will turn out badly, despite no clear indications, leading to unnecessary anxiety or stress.
Fortune telling can result in avoidance behaviors, pessimism, and emotional distress.
Fortune Telling Solutions.
Mind Reading
Mind reading is a tendency to assume you know what others are thinking, usually in a negative light.
It involves believing others have negative thoughts or judgments about you without any evidence, leading to misunderstandings or unnecessary insecurity.
Mind reading can contribute to strained relationships, low self-esteem, and social anxiety.
Mind Reading Solutions.
Emotional Reasoning
Emotional reasoning is a tendency to believe that feelings reflect reality.
It involves assuming that if you feel something strongly, it must be true, often leading to distorted perceptions and reactions.
Emotional reasoning can result in poor decision-making, heightened anxiety, and difficulty managing emotions.
Emotional Reasoning Solutions.
Over-Generalisation
Over-generalization is a tendency to view a single negative event as a never-ending pattern.
It involves making broad conclusions based on one or a few experiences, often leading to an exaggerated sense of failure or hopelessness.
Over-generalization can contribute to pessimism, low self-esteem, and increased anxiety or depression.
Over-Generalisation Solutions.
Mental Filtering
Mental filtering is a tendency to focus solely on the negative aspects of a situation while ignoring the positives.
It involves filtering out positive experiences or achievements, often leading to a skewed and overly pessimistic view of reality.
Mental filtering can contribute to feelings of inadequacy, low self-esteem, and increased anxiety or depression.
Mental Filtering Solutions.
Labelling
Labeling is a tendency to assign broad, negative labels to yourself or others based on specific behaviors or events.
It involves using one action or mistake to define someone entirely, often leading to rigid and unfair judgments.
Labeling can contribute to low self-esteem, strained relationships, and emotional distress.
Labelling Solutions.
Disqualifying the positive
Disqualifying the positive is a tendency to reject positive experiences or compliments, believing they don’t count.
It involves dismissing positive feedback or achievements as unimportant or accidental, often reinforcing negative self-perceptions.
Disqualifying the positive can contribute to low self-esteem, pessimism, and a distorted view of reality.
Disqualifying the positive Solutions.
Should Statements
“Should statements” are a tendency to impose rigid expectations on yourself or others.
It involves thinking in terms of what “should” or “must” happen, often leading to feelings of frustration, guilt, or inadequacy when reality doesn’t match these expectations.
“Should statements” can contribute to perfectionism, stress, and dissatisfaction.
Should Statements Solutions.
Closed Mind
A closed mind is a tendency to reject new ideas, perspectives, or feedback.
It involves rigid thinking and an unwillingness to consider alternative viewpoints, often leading to stagnation and difficulty adapting to change.
A closed mind can contribute to poor problem-solving, strained relationships, and missed growth opportunities.
Closed Mind Solutions.
Low Frustration Tolerance
Low frustration tolerance is a tendency to become easily overwhelmed or irritated by minor challenges or discomforts.
It involves an inability to cope with frustration, often leading to impulsive reactions or avoidance of difficult situations.
Low frustration tolerance can contribute to stress, poor decision-making, and difficulties in achieving long-term goals.
Low Frustration Tolerance Solutions.
Control Fallacies
Control fallacies are a tendency to believe you either have complete control over everything or no control at all.
It involves viewing yourself as either entirely responsible for all outcomes or as a helpless victim of external forces, often leading to feelings of guilt or powerlessness.
Control fallacies can contribute to anxiety, frustration, and difficulties in maintaining balanced perspectives.
Control Fallacies Solutions.
Fallacies of Fairness
Fallacies of fairness are a tendency to believe that life should always be fair according to personal standards.
It involves expecting fairness in every situation and feeling resentful or frustrated when reality doesn’t meet these expectations.
Fallacies of fairness can contribute to feelings of injustice, bitterness, and dissatisfaction with life.
Fallacies of Fairness Solutions.
Fallacies of Change
Fallacies of change are a tendency to believe that others must change their behavior to make you happy.
It involves expecting that people should alter their actions or attitudes to suit your needs, often leading to frustration when they don’t comply.
Fallacies of change can contribute to strained relationships, unrealistic expectations, and emotional dissatisfaction.
Fallacies of Change Solutions.
Always Being Right
“Always being right” is a tendency to prioritize being correct over understanding or compromise.
It involves an insistence on proving one’s point at all costs, often disregarding others’ perspectives or feelings, leading to conflict.
This mindset can contribute to strained relationships, defensiveness, and difficulty in personal growth or learning.
Always Being Right Solutions.
Black and White Thinking
Black-and-white thinking is a tendency to see situations in extremes, with no middle ground.
It involves viewing things as all good or all bad, right or wrong, often leading to rigid thinking and unrealistic expectations.
Black-and-white thinking can contribute to stress, disappointment, and difficulty managing complex situations.
Black and White Thinking Solutions.
Rigid Thinking
Rigid thinking is a tendency to stick to fixed beliefs or approaches, resisting flexibility or change.
It involves an unwillingness to adapt to new information or perspectives, often leading to difficulties in problem-solving or growth.
Rigid thinking can contribute to frustration, conflict, and missed opportunities for learning or improvement.
Rigid Thinking Solutions.
