Distorted Thinking Patterns Can Lead to Maladaptive Behaviors.

Depending on how nosotros interpret events, our minds tin sometimes play tricks on us. They can convince usa of things that aren't true, fifty-fifty though they feel rational to us.

When these inaccurate beliefs influence our thoughts, emotions, and actions, nosotros can feel broken-hearted, stressed, aroused, or depressed about ourselves (or the earth around united states). These faulty beliefs are known as cognitive distortions.

What Are Cerebral Distortions?

Anyone can experience cognitive distortion, which the American Psychological Association defines equally "faulty or inaccurate thinking, perception or belief." Negativity is often the defining feature.

For some of us, distorted thinking is a momentary blip. We become upset when we fail a math test. We briefly reason that we're bad at math, instead of realizing nosotros demand to study more. But we typically motility on and try again.

For others, cognitive distortions are a pattern of thinking that interferes with their lives and relationships. In these cases, distorted thinking can pb to chronic anxiety, depression, and behavioral problems such as misuse of substances.

The 10 Nigh Mutual Cognitive Distortions

Permit'due south review some common cognitive distortion examples. You might see your own thought patterns reflected here, or they may describe someone you know.

i. Engaging in catastrophic thinking

You to wait the worst outcome in any situation. Y'all oftentimes find yourself thinking, "What if…?" If your child misses curfew, you imagine he's been in a car accident. If your boss schedules a meeting, yous worry y'all'll exist fired. And your thinking spirals from there: You may think of losing your child. Getting fired means you'll go homeless.

2. Discounting the positive

When something goes right — say you lot get a promotion — yous acknowledge it but refuse to accept credit. Instead, y'all chalk it up to dumb luck or a mistake. Or, y'all receive many positive comments on an evaluation, but choose to focus on a single piece of negative feedback.

3. Emotional reasoning

You rely on "gut" feelings over objective evidence to judge yourself and the world. For instance, "I experience similar a bad mother, therefore I must be a bad mother."

iv. Labeling/mislabeling

You frequently define yourself and others with negative labels. In assigning labels, you focus on one past behavior or effect. Your co-worker is "lazy" because they came to piece of work late. You're "stupid" because you lot failed the math test.

5. Mental filtering

You view yourself, your life, and your future through a negative lens. You lot ignore annihilation positive. Filtering can increase feelings of hopelessness and helplessness.

6. Jumping to conclusions

Yous base your decisions not on what someone says or does, merely on what you believe they're thinking. You lot believe you can read minds or anticipate reactions. You don't ask what the other person thinks or feels.

Fortune-telling is another form of cognitive distortion related to jumping to conclusions. You insist you tin predict the time to come, regardless of what yous do. You'll be famous without putting in the difficult work. Or you'll ever exist a failure, then difficult work is a waste matter of fourth dimension.

7. Overgeneralization

People who overgeneralize use their experience from i event to another. If your marriage ended in divorce, you think y'all're not worthy of love. As a event, you might conclude y'all should never date again.

8. Personalization

If people frequently tell you, "stop taking this and so personally," then yous likely experience personalization. You blame yourself for things exterior of your command. You falsely believe that everything that someone says or does is a direct reaction to you lot. Personalization tin can convince yous that you are beingness targeted or excluded. It tin can besides cause you to compare yourself to others.

9. Polarized or black-and-white thinking

This kind of thinking deals in extremes. People and situations are either slap-up or terrible. You believe yous're either destined for success or failure. You lot don't allow room for balanced perspectives or outcomes.

x. "Should" statements

You have a list of rules for how people should and shouldn't behave. Constantly blaming yourself or others for what "should" have been said or done (but wasn't) can increase stress and anxiety. You will never exist happy if yous always focus on what "should" have been.

Challenging Cognitive Distortions

Cerebral behavioral therapy is widely used to assist break the cycle of distorted thinking. A trained psychotherapist can work with you to retrain your brain to identify and claiming cognitive distortions using idea records, cognitive restructuring exercises, and behavioral exercises.

For more information, telephone call UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital at i-877-624-4100 or 412-624-1000.

Sources

Andrea Wyssen. Relevance of the Thought–Shape Fusion Trait Questionnaire for healthy women and women presenting symptoms of eating disorders and mixed mental disorders. Clinical Psychology Psychotherapy. Link

David Berle. Does Emotional Reasoning Modify During Cerebral Behavioural Therapy for Anxiety? Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. Link

Laura Fifty. Fazakas-DeHoog. A Cerebral Distortions and Deficits Model of Suicide Ideation. Europe's Journal of Psychology. Link

Melina Andrea del Pozo. Cognitive Distortions in Anorexia Nervosa and Deadline Personality Disorder. Psychiatry Research. Link

Mohamad El Haj. False Memory in Alzheimer'southward Disease. Behavioral Neurology. Link

Olimpia Matarazzo. The Gambler'due south Fallacy in Problem and Non-Trouble Gamblers. Journal of Behavioral Addictions. Link

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