[acb-hsp] FW: Brief list of common cognitive distortions that may help understand Veterans we serve

[Baracco, Andrew W]

Subject: Brief list of common cognitive distortions that may help
understand Veterans we serve

 


I frequently run into those who fit into one or more of these
categories. Understanding their perceptions may help understand their
dilemma.


 


15 common cognitive distortions- how our thoughts influence our mental
health


30 Mar
<http://drchristinavillarreal.com/2010/03/30/15-common-cognitive-distort
ions-how-our-thoughts-influence-our-mental-health/> 

What's a 'cognitive distortion' and why do so many people have them?
Cognitive distortions are ways that our thought patterns can convince us
that something is true or false. These are typically thoughts that occur
automatically, and are usually used to reinforce negative thinking or
emotions.  Our automatic thoughts can feel rational and accurate, and
most of all, they can feel factual. But with examination, we can often
find evidence that our thoughts are NOT factual, but based on a set of
negative thought patterns that have developed based on our feelings,
rather than factual evidence.

Cognitive distortions are at the core of what many cognitive-behavioral
and other kinds of therapists try and help a person learn to change in
psychotherapy. By learning to correctly identify distorted thoughts, a
person can then respond to the disorted thoughts by balancing them with
thoughts that are more balanced, and based on fact/reality rather than
negative feelings. By refuting negative thoughts over and over again,
they will slowly diminish overtime and be automatically replaced by more
rational, balanced thinking.

Aaron Beck
<http://www.beckinstitute.org/Library/InfoManage/Guide.asp?FolderID=200&
SessionID=%7BD5F13DA5-1CC2-453A-AABC-FE9374E1E8F5%7D> first proposed the
theory behind cognitive distortions and David Burns
<http://www.feelinggood.com/Dr_Burns.htm>  was responsible for
popularizing it with common names and examples for the distortions.

1. Filtering.

We take the negative details and magnify them while filtering out all
positive aspects of a situation. For instance, a person may pick out a
single, unpleasant detail and dwell on it exclusively so that their
vision of reality becomes darkened or distorted.

2. Polarized Thinking.

Things are either "black-or-white." We have to be perfect or we're a
failure-there is no middle ground. You place people or situations in
"either/or" categories, with no shades of gray or allowing for the
complexity of most people and situations. If your performance falls
short of perfect, you see yourself as a total failure.

3. Overgeneralization.

We come to a general conclusion based on a single incident or piece of
evidence. If something bad happens once, we expect it to happen over and
over again. A person may see a single, unpleasant event as a
never-ending pattern of defeat.

4. Jumping to Conclusions.

Without individuals saying so, we know what they are feeling and why
they act the way they do. In particular, we are able to determine how
people are feeling toward us. For example, a person may conclude that
someone is reacting negatively toward them and don't actually bother to
find out if they are correct. Another example is a person may anticipate
that things will turn out badly, and will feel convinced that their
prediction is already an established fact.

5. Catastrophizing.

We expect disaster to strike, no matter what. This is also referred to
as "magnifying or minimizing." We hear about a problem and use what if
questions (e.g., "What if tragedy strikes?" "What if it happens to
me?").

For example, a person might exaggerate the importance of insignificant
events (such as their mistake, or someone else's achievement). Or they
may inappropriately shrink the magnitude of significant events until
they appear tiny (for example, a person's own desirable qualities or
someone else's imperfections).

6. Personalization.

Thinking that everything people do or say is some kind of reaction to
us. We also compare ourselves to others trying to determine who is
smarter, better looking, etc. A person sees themselves as the cause of
some negative external event that they were in fact, not resposible for.
For example, "We were late to the dinner party and caused the hostess to
overcook the meal. If I had only pushed my husband to leave on time,
this wouldn't have happened."

7. Control Fallacies.

If we feel externally controlled, we see ourselves as helpless a victim
of fate. For example, "I can't help it if the quality of the work is
poor, my boss demanded I work overtime on it." The fallacy of internal
control has us assuming responsibility for the pain and happiness of
everyone around us. For example, "Why aren't you happy? Is it because of
something I did?"

8. Fallacy of Fairness.

We feel resentful because we think we know what is fair, but other
people won't agree with us. We are convinced that "Life is always fair."
People who go through life applying a measuring ruler against every
situation judging its "fairness" will often feel badly and negative
because of it.

9. Blaming.

We hold other people responsible for our pain, or take the other track
and blame ourselves for every problem. For example, "Stop making me feel
bad about myself!" Nobody can "make" us feel any particular way - only
we have control over our own emotions and emotional reactions.

10. Shoulds.

We have a list of ironclad rules about how others and we should behave.
People who break the rules make us angry, and we feel guilty when we
violate these rules. A person may often believe they are trying to
motivate themselves with shoulds and shouldn'ts, as if they have to be
punished before they can do anything.

For example, "I really should exercise. I shouldn't be so lazy." Musts
and oughts are also offenders. The emotional consequence is guilt, which
does not propel us to change, but only serves to make us feel badly.

11. Emotional Reasoning.

We believe that what we feel must be true automatically. If we feel
stupid and boring, then we must be stupid and boring. You assume that
your unhealthy emotions reflect the way things really are - "I feel it,
therefore it must be true."

12. Fallacy of Change.

We expect that other people will change to suit us if we just pressure
or cajole them enough. We need to change people because our hopes for
happiness seem to depend entirely on them.

13. Global Labeling.

We generalize one or two qualities into a negative global judgment.
These are extreme forms of generalizing, and are also referred to as
"labeling" and "mislabeling." Instead of describing an error in context
of a specific situation, a person will attach an unhealthy label to
themselves.

For example, they may say, "I'm a loser" in a situation where they
failed at a specific task. When someone else's behavior rubs a person
the wrong way, they may attach an unhealthy label to him, such as "He's
a real jerk." Mislabeling involves describing an event with language
that is highly colored and emotionally loaded. For example, instead of
saying someone drops her children off at daycare every day, a person who
is mislabeling might say that "she abandons her children to strangers."

14. Always Being Right.

We are continually on trial to prove that our opinions and actions are
correct. Being wrong is unthinkable and we will go to any length to
demonstrate our rightness. For example, "I don't care how badly arguing
with me makes you feel, I'm going to win this argument no matter what
because I'm right." Being right often is more important than the
feelings of others around a person who engages in this cognitive
distortion, even loved ones.

15. Heaven's Reward Fallacy.

We expect our sacrifice and self-denial to pay off, as if someone is
keeping score. We feel bitter when the reward doesn't come.

References:

Beck, A. T. (1976). Cognitive therapies and emotional disorders. New
York: New American Library.

Burns, D. D. (1980). Feeling good: The new mood therapy. New York: New
American Library.

 

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