THINKING ERRORS
Consumed by negative thoughts? Don’t know how to overcome them?
Start with ONE SITUATION at a time & ONE THOUGHT at a time. Look out for THINKING ERRORS.
Dr. Aaron Beck researched and developed Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). He introduced the concept of cognitive distortions or biases or thinking errors.
People constantly interpret the world around them in an effort to understand what is happening. Sometimes cognitive SHORTCUTS occur, resulting in thoughts that may not be entirely accurate. Different cognitive shortcuts lead to different kinds of biases or distortions in thinking.
A big goal for us CBT therapists is for our clients to be aware of these negative thought patterns, so the client can independently SPOT them & then CHALLENGE them. Sharing these thinking errors is a sure way to help our clients recognise their thoughts aren’t always helpful or accurate.
Then we can introduce tools to reverse these thinking errors. Create new thoughts & beliefs which in turn improve our mood & allow us to live life how we wish.
Because if we can change how we think about something, this can change how we PHYSICALLY FEEL, our EMOTIONS & how we REACT/COPE/BEHAVE.
All or Nothing Thinking - Viewing situations in extreme terms, such as entirely good or entirely bad. This type of thinking disregards the middle ground & can lead to unrealistic views of yourself, others or the world.
EXAMPLE - After receiving feedback on a single mistake, a person might think, "I'm a complete failure at my job".
Magnification & Minimisation - Magnification involves exaggerating the importance of a minor negative event or situation. Whereas, minimisation is the downplaying of positive events or achievements, often attributing them to luck.
EXAMPLE - At social event convinced someone doesn’t like you “they didn’t smile/laugh” (Magnification) “They only spoke to me to be polite” (minimisation).
Mind Reading - Believing you know what others are thinking, often assuming negative judgments or thoughts about themselves without any evidence or asking directly.
EXAMPLE - Sending a message & not getting a reply. Then concluding “That person doesn’t like me & Doesn’t want to speak with me”.
Emotional Reasoning - When an individual believes that their emotional response to a situation reflects the true nature of that situation.
EXAMPLE - Feeling panicked & anxious in public & concluding "Something bad is definitely going to happen, I'm in danger" OR "I feel like a failure, so I must be a failure".
Permissive Thinking - The tendency to justify indulgent, unhealthy, or counterproductive behaviours. Rationalising things that go against your goals/values.
EXAMPLE - Committing to regular exercise but skipping a workout by rationalizing "I worked out really hard yesterday; I can skip today" While rest days are important, this thinking can lead to neglecting goals altogether.
Labelling - Where individuals assign a fixed label to themselves or others based on a single event or behaviour & reducing it down to one trait.
EXAMPLE - After a social interaction you might think "I'm so awkward” or someone cuts you up driving “what a prick”.
Catastrophising - Believing that the worst possible outcomes will occur, often overestimating the severity of the situation or its consequences.
EXAMPLE - Receiving a low grade on one assignment & thinking, "I failed this assignment; now I'll fail the entire course, & then I'll never pass or get a good job".
“Should” Statements - Setting yourself, others & the world rigid rules about how things “should”, “Must”, “Ought”, “have” to be. often impossible & unrealistic to adhere to long term.
EXAMPLE - “I must not make mistakes”, “people should treat me how I treat them”, “The world ought to be fair”.
Self Blame - An individual attributes all negative events or outcomes to their own actions or character, even when they are not responsible.
EXAMPLE - A relationship breaks down & assuming “It must be because I am boring, and nobody wants me”.
Externalising - Blaming difficulties/outcomes to external factors rather than acknowledging their own role in the situation. blaming others or believing that outside forces entirely control one's life.
EXAMPLE - Feeling unhappy with your life & believing “The world is against me, School held me back, my last boss wasn’t supportive” & holding no accountability.
Thought-Action Fusion - Holding the belief that having a thought increases the probability of that event happening &/or having immoral/unacceptable thoughts is just as bad as performing the actions.
EXAMPLE - Having intrusive thoughts about committing a crime & thinking “Thinking about this crime means I have done it” & “thinking this makes me just as bad as someone who has done this crime”.
Arbitrary Inference - Making conclusions about situations, oneself or others without supporting evidence or despite opposing evidence.
EXAMPLE - You experience a mild headache & conclude “it must be a symptom of a severe illness”, disregarding more likely & benign explanations such as stress or dehydration.
Fortune Telling - You predict the future negatively without sufficient evidence. You believe that something bad is going to happen, and you act as if your prediction is already true.
EXAMPLE - Expecting to be rejected from a job interview "They won't hire me; I'm sure they'll choose someone else”.
Hindsight Bias - After an event has occurred, individuals tend to believe they could have foreseen the outcome, & could have prevented it from happening.
EXAMPLE - After a car accident or domestic violent event thinking “I knew that was going to happen & I should have acted differently”.
Disqualify the Positive - Where individuals dismiss or discount positive experiences & achievements, believing they are unimportant, irrelevant, or accidental.
EXAMPLE - Completing a challenging task but telling yourself “That was pure luck & it likely wouldn’t happen again”.
Overgeneralisation - Taking a single event or piece of information & making broad, sweeping conclusions & Judgements based on it.
EXAMPLE - Making a mistake at work or home & thinking “I’m rubbish at everything i do & I’ll never be good enough & this will repeatedly happen”.
Jumping to Conclusions - Where individuals make assumptions or draw conclusions without evidence or facts. This can lead to realationship problems & poor decision making.
EXAMPLE - A person yawns in a social interaction & you think “they must be bored”, “They are not interested in me”, “I must be a boring person”.
Social Comparison - The act of evaluating oneself in relation to others. comparing one's abilities, achievements, or situations highlighting flaws & negatives rather than positives.
EXAMPLE - A person scrolling through social media, seeing posts from their friends & thinking “my life isn't as exciting or successful”.