Cognitive Distortion

Cognitive distortions are irrational or biased thinking patterns that negatively influence one’s perception of reality. These distortions often lead to faulty interpretations of events and experiences, fueling emotional distress, poor decision-making, and dysfunctional behaviors. They are typically automatic and habitual, skewing how people perceive themselves, others, and the world around them.

  1. American Psychological Association (APA):
    “Cognitive distortions are biased perspectives individuals may hold about themselves and the world around them. They are irrational thoughts and beliefs that we unknowingly reinforce over time.”
    • Source: APA Dictionary of Psychology
  2. National Health Service (NHS) (UK):
    “Cognitive distortions are patterns of thinking that are often inaccurate and negatively biased. They influence our mood, our interpretation of events, and the way we perceive reality.”
    • Source: NHS Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Resources
  3. David D. Burns, M.D. (Author of Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy):
    “Cognitive distortions are systematic errors in reasoning. They’re common thinking mistakes that cause depression and anxiety, and they lead to self-defeating behavior.”
    • Source: David D. Burns, Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy
  4. Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy:
    “Cognitive distortions are exaggerated or irrational thought patterns that contribute to the reinforcement of negative thinking or emotions. These distorted thoughts can perpetuate feelings of depression and anxiety.”
    • Source: Beck Institute

Common Types of Cognitive Distortions

  1. All-or-Nothing Thinking
    It is: Seeing things in black-and-white terms, with no room for middle ground.
    Example: After failing one exam, a student believes they are a complete failure and incapable of success.
  2. Overgeneralization
    It is: Making broad conclusions based on a single incident or piece of evidence.
    Example: After one bad date, someone concludes, “I’ll never find love.”
  3. Mental Filtering
    It is: Focusing exclusively on the negative aspects of a situation while ignoring any positive aspects.
    Example: Receiving mostly positive feedback at work but obsessing over one critical comment.
  4. Disqualifying the Positive
    It is: Rejecting or minimizing positive experiences by insisting they “don’t count.”
    Example: When someone compliments your work, you respond, “They’re just being nice.”
  5. Jumping to Conclusions (Mind Reading)
    It is: Assuming you know what others are thinking without any concrete evidence.
    Example: “My friend didn’t text me back right away, so they must be mad at me.”
  6. Jumping to Conclusions (Fortune Telling)
    It is: Predicting the future negatively without considering other possible outcomes.
    Example: “I know I’ll fail the interview, so why bother preparing?”
  7. Catastrophizing
    It is: Expecting the worst-case scenario to happen, no matter how unlikely.
    Example: A minor health issue leads someone to fear they have a life-threatening illness.
  8. Minimizing / Discounting the Positive
    It is: Diminishing or discounting positive experiences or successes.
    Example: Achieving a goal but thinking, “It wasn’t that hard. Anyone could have done it.”
  9. Emotional Reasoning
    It is: Believing that if you feel something, it must be true.
    Example: “I feel anxious about this project, so it must be doomed to fail.”
  10. “Should” Statements
    It is: Imposing rigid rules on yourself or others and feeling frustrated when they aren’t met.
    Example: “I should always be successful, and if I’m not, I’m a failure.”
    See also the futility of I could have done better.
  11. Labeling
    It is: Assigning a negative, global label to oneself or others based on a single event.
    Example: After making a mistake, someone thinks, “I’m an idiot.”
  12. Personalization
    It is: Taking responsibility for events outside of your control or blaming yourself for things that aren’t your fault.
    Example: “My child is struggling at school; I must be a bad parent.”
  13. Blaming Others
    It is: Blaming others for your own problems, avoiding personal responsibility.
    Example: Failing a test and thinking, “It’s all the teacher’s fault for not preparing us.”
  14. Magnification (Making Mountains out of Molehills)
    It is: Exaggerating the significance of events or problems.
    Example: A small argument with a friend leads to fear that the friendship is over.
  15. Fallacy of Fairness
    It is: Believing that life should always be fair and becoming angry when it’s not.
    Example: “It’s unfair that I didn’t get the promotion, even though I’ve worked hard.”
  16. Heaven’s Reward Fallacy
    It is: Expecting that your hard work and sacrifice will automatically result in rewards.
    Example: “After all I’ve done for this company, I deserve a raise, but it never happens.”
  17. Control Fallacy (External)
    It is: Believing external forces, rather than yourself, are in control of your fate.
    Example: “I can’t be happy because my partner doesn’t support me.”
  18. Control Fallacy (Internal)
    It is: Taking excessive responsibility for events or outcomes, even when it’s not warranted.
    Example: “If only I had done more, my friend wouldn’t be upset.”
  19. Fallacy of Change
    It is: Believing that you can change others to suit your needs or desires.
    Example: “If I just try hard enough, I can make my partner more affectionate.”
  20. Always Being Right
    It is: The belief that being wrong is unacceptable, leading to defensiveness and unwillingness to consider other perspectives.
    Example: During a disagreement, refusing to acknowledge the other person’s point of view because “I know I’m right.”
  21. Fallacy of Perfection
    It is: Believing that you must always perform flawlessly, and anything less is unacceptable.
    Example: A person is afraid to speak up during a meeting because they fear making a mistake or sounding foolish.
  22. Fallacy of Approval
    It is: Thinking that you must always be liked or approved of by others, leading to people-pleasing behaviors.
    Example: A person feels immense guilt and stress when they say “no” to a friend’s unreasonable request because they fear losing their approval.
  23. Unrealistic Expectations
    It is: Holding yourself or others to standards that are difficult or impossible to meet.
    Example: “I should be able to manage my job, my family, and all my personal goals without ever feeling overwhelmed.”
  24. Comparative Thinking (Comparing Unfairly)
    It is: Comparing yourself to others in a way that only highlights their strengths and your weaknesses.
    Example: “My colleague is so much more successful than I am. I’ll never be as good as them.”
  25. Belief in Permanent Emotional States
    It is: Assuming that the way you feel now is how you will always feel.
    Example: “I’m so upset today; I don’t think I’ll ever be happy again.”
  26. Global Labeling (Mislabeling)
    It is: Attaching an extreme, broad label to yourself or someone else based on limited evidence.
    Example: After missing a deadline, a person might say, “I’m completely incompetent.”
  27. Being Self-Centered
    It is: Assuming that you are the center of everyone’s actions and feelings, leading to over-personalization.
    Example: “My friends didn’t invite me to the party. They must hate me.”
  28. “What if” Thinking
    It is: Constantly worrying about possible negative future outcomes and dwelling on them.
    Example: “What if I lose my job? What if I get sick? What if something happens to my family?”
  29. Selective Abstraction
    It is: Focusing on one aspect of a situation while ignoring other important details or the bigger picture.
    Example: After a presentation, focusing solely on the one slide where you stumbled, ignoring all the positive feedback from the audience.
  30. Tunnel Vision
    It is: Seeing only the negative aspects of a situation and filtering out the positive.
    Example: A person focuses solely on the few mistakes they made during a project, ignoring the overall success.
  31. Self-Serving Bias
    It is: Attributing successes to yourself but blaming failures on external factors.
    Example: “I got promoted because I’m talented,” but “I failed the exam because the teacher was unfair.”
  32. Overpersonalization
    It is: Seeing yourself as the cause of external events that are, in fact, unrelated to you.
    Example: “My friend is in a bad mood. I must have said something to upset them.”
  33. Mindreading
    It is: Assuming that other people have negative thoughts about them, even though they may not.
  34. The Fallacy of Helplessness
    It is: Believing that you have no control over your circumstances, leading to a passive, victim-like attitude.
    Example: “There’s nothing I can do to improve my career; the industry is just too competitive.”
  35. Hyperresponsibility
    It is: Feeling an exaggerated sense of responsibility for the well-being of others, even when it’s not your role.
    Example: “If my friend is unhappy, it’s my fault for not supporting them enough.”
  36. Inability to Disconfirm
    It is: Rejecting any evidence or arguments that contradict your established negative beliefs.
    Example: Despite receiving a promotion, a person thinks, “It was just luck; it doesn’t prove I’m good at my job.”
  37. Demandingness
    It is: Believing that things should happen a certain way because of personal demands or wishes.
    Example: “I worked hard, so I deserve to get everything I want in life.”
  38. Double Standard
    It is: Holding yourself to stricter standards than others, being excessively critical of yourself but lenient with others.
    Example: Telling a friend, “It’s okay to make mistakes,” but believing that your own mistakes are unacceptable.
  39. Externalization of Happiness
    It is: Believing that your happiness is entirely dependent on external factors, like others’ approval or material success.
    Example: “I’ll only be happy if I get the job of my dreams.”
  40. Fallacy of Control (Giving Away Control)
    It is: Believing that others are responsible for your happiness, and you have little control over your emotions.
    Example: “My partner didn’t make me feel special today, so I’m going to be miserable.”
  41. Disaster Magnification
    It is: Taking minor issues and amplifying them into major catastrophes in your mind.
    Example: “I forgot to respond to one email at work; now my boss will think I’m completely irresponsible.”
  42. Just World
    It is: the belief that people get what they deserve, assuming life is inherently fair.
    Example: Thinking someone who faces hardship, like losing their job, must have done something wrong to deserve it.

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