SUPA Psychology Chapter 15 Cognitive Distortions

Polarized Thinking

Polarized thinking is when you have an “All or Nothing” or “Black and White” thinking pattern. There is no middle ground that allows for the complexities of realistic thoughts. A person with black and white thinking only thinks in extremes. Ex: A student who gets an A- on an exam feels like a failure because they are used to getting A+ grades only. They have the mentality “If I am not successful at everything I do, I am a complete failure.”

Mental Filtering

Mental filtering refers to the way a person can ignore all the positive and good things about an experience and focus soley on negative aspects of an experience. Their vision of reality can become darkened and distorted due to their focus on the negatives. This prevents them from seeing things clearly, since they are focused on what’s not working, rather than what is working. Ex: A student gives a presentation in class and recieves positive feedback from most of the classmates and the teacher, who compliment the clarity and structure of the content. However, the student fixates on one minor stumble during their speech, where they mispronounced a word. They ignore the praise and focus only on that one mistake, leading them to feel the entire presentation was a failure.

Overgeneralization

Overgeneralization occurs when a person focuses on a single event that occurred and makes a conclusion based on this single piece of negative evidence. Ex: An athlete misses an important shot during a basketball game, and based on that one mistake, they conclude that they are a terrible player. They believe that every game from now on will be full of mistakes and that they’ll never perform well again, even though they’ve had many successful games before.

Mind Reading

This distortion occurs when you think you know what the other person is thinking. You assume what other people’s reasons or intentions are and take that interpretation as the only valid reasoning. This is done purely out of assumptions and generally with little or no physical evidence. In reality, there could be many possibilities, but you won’t acknowledge them. Ex: When you are spending time with a friend, but they seem distracted or uninterested, you automatically jump to the conclusion that it has something to do with you. There could be many reasons, unrelated to you, why they are acting that way.

Fortune Telling

Fortune telling is a cognitive distortion in which you predict a negative outcome without realistically considering the actual odds of that outcome. Ex: A student is applying to several colleges but predicts that they won’t be accepted to any of them. Despite having strong grades and extracurricular activities, they begin assuming that the admissions committees will overlook their application and that they’ll end up with no offers. These negative predictions are based on little evidence but shape their anxiety and doubt about the process.

Catastrophizing

Catastrophizing is a cognitive distortion where a person expects the worst possible outcome or blows things out of proportion. They tend to magnify a negative situation, making it seem far worse than it actually is, often imagining a disaster or catastrophe that is highly unlikely to occur. This thinking leads to unnecessary anxiety and stress, as the person fixates on the worst-case scenario rather than considering more realistic possibilities. Ex: A person is waiting for their parent to pick them up, and the parent is 20 minutes late. Instead of thinking that their parent might be stuck in traffic or running behind, they immediately begin to imagine the worst-case scenario. They start to panic, thinking, “Something must have happened. Maybe they were in an accident! What if they’re hurt or worse?” The person becomes increasingly anxious, even though there’s no evidence to suggest anything serious has happened.

Personalization

Personalization is a cognitive distortion where an individual blames themselves for events outside their control or assumes excessive responsibility for negative outcomes. It often involves interpreting external events as being directly related to oneself, even when there is little or no evidence to support that belief. Ex: You attend a party but all your friends are busy engaging with other people. You feel like they do not have any interest in being your friend and engaging in conversation with you. This makes you think you don’t belong or are being unfairly excluded.

Blaming

Blaming is a cognitive distortion where an individual holds others entirely responsible for their own negative feelings or situations, while ignoring their own role. It often involves shifting accountability to avoid confronting personal mistakes or uncomfortable emotions. Ex: A student performs poorly on a test and blames the teacher for not explaining the material clearly enough, even though the teacher provided ample resources. The student avoids considering their own lack of preparation or failure to ask questions when confused.

Always Being Right

This thinking pattern causes a person to always have the need to be right. They internalize their opinions as facts and will put others on trial to prove that their own opinions or actions are the correct ones. Being wrong is not acceptable and they will go to great lengths to demonstrate their belief. Ex: This thinking pattern causes a person to always have the need to be right. They internalize their opinions as facts and will put others on trial to prove that their own opinions or actions are the correct ones. Being wrong is not acceptable and they will go to great lengths to demonstrate their belief.

Should Statements

This distortion is statements of what a person “should” do or “shouldn’t” do. The statements are enforced on themselves or others. These rules create a lot of pressure, imposing a set of expectations that is not likely to be met. Feelings of guilt, frustration, and even anger or resentment could occur from disappointment. Ex: A person trying to maintain a healthy diet says, "I shouldn’t ever eat junk food if I want to stay healthy.” After indulging in a treat, they feel guilty and defeated, unable to accept that occasional indulgence is normal and part of a balanced lifestyle.

Fallacy of Change

The Fallacy of Change lies in expecting other people to change as it suits us. This ties into the feeling that our happiness depends on other people, and their unwillingness or inability to change, even if we demand it, keeps us from being happy. This is a damaging way to think because no one is responsible for our own happiness except ourselves. Ex: A person feels frustrated with their friend for not being more spontaneous and always planning ahead. They keep hoping their friend will change their ways to match their preferences, believing that they’ll be happier if their friend behaves differently, rather than accepting their friend’s natural personality and planning style.

Heaven’s Reward Fallacy

The Heaven’s Reward Fallacy is the irrational expectation that you MUST be rewarded for all your hard work and sacrifice. This fallacy leads to disappointment when the rewards don’t come. The disappointment or violation of expectations can lead to anger, frustration, and general bitterness. Ex: An athlete feels frustrated when their teammate, who puts in less practice, is chosen for a starting position. The athlete thinks, “It’s not fair that I’m not starting when I work so much harder.” They fail to acknowledge that the coach might value different skills, team dynamics, or other factors beyond just hard work.

Minimizing

Minimizing is a cognitive distortion characterized by downplaying or underestimating the significance, impact, or intensity of a situation, emotion, or experience. It involves reducing the perceived importance or minimizing the seriousness of events, feelings, or one’s own achievements or abilities. This distortion can hinder personal growth, emotional well-being, and effective problem-solving. Ex: An athlete wins an award but does not acknowledge their accomplishment. They minimize the importance of the award because they might feel others already have the same award.