Burns / Positive and Negative Distortions

Flashcards covering common cognitive distortions and methods for challenging them, based on Burns' work on positive and negative distortions.

What is "All-or-Nothing Thinking"?

Thinking about yourself or the world in black-or-white, all-or-nothing categories, where shades of gray do not exist.

Describe the "Overgeneralization" cognitive distortion.

Thinking about a negative event as a never-ending pattern of defeat or a positive event as a never-ending pattern of success.

What is the "Mental Filter" distortion?

Focusing exclusively on shortcomings and ignoring positive qualities/accomplishments, or dwelling on positives and overlooking negatives.

Explain "Discounting the Facts."

Telling yourself that negative or positive facts don’t count in order to maintain a universally negative or positive self-image.

Identify the two main forms of "Jumping to Conclusions."

Mind-Reading (making assumptions about others' thoughts and feelings) and Fortune-Telling (making dogmatic predictions about the future).

What is "Magnification and Minimization"?

Blowing things out of proportion or shrinking their importance inappropriately, also known as the "binocular trick."

Describe "Emotional Reasoning."

Reasoning from how you feel, assuming your negative emotions necessarily reflect the way things really are because your thoughts are distorted.

What are "Should Statements" and their effects?

Making yourself or others miserable with rigid "shoulds," "musts," or "ought to's," causing guilt/shame (self-directed) or anger/frustration (other/world-directed).

What is "Labeling" and why is it problematic?

Attaching a negative or superior label to yourself or others, which is an extreme form of overgeneralization because it sees the entire self as defective or globally bad/superior.

Explain the "Blame" distortion.

Finding fault entirely with yourself (Self-Blame) or others (Other-Blame) for a problem, instead of considering multiple contributing factors or one's own role.

What is "The Double-Standard Method"?

Talking to yourself with the same compassion you would offer a friend with a similar problem, instead of being overly harsh or self-condemning.

How does "Examine the Evidence" help challenge negative thoughts?

Instead of automatically assuming a negative thought is true, you examine the actual evidence for and against it.

What is "The Experimental Technique" used for in cognitive therapy?

To test the validity of your negative thoughts by creating an experiment to see if your predictions or assumptions hold true.

Describe the "Thinking in Shades of Gray" method.

Evaluating things on a continuous scale (e.g., 0-100) instead of all-or-nothing extremes, recognizing partial successes or failures to combat black-and-white thinking.

What is the "Re-attribution" method for changing negative thinking?

Instead of automatically blaming yourself entirely for a problem, you consider the many factors that may have contributed to it and focus on solving the problem.

How can the "Ask Questions" method help challenge distorted thinking?

Asking other people questions to determine if your own thoughts and attitudes are realistic, especially for social anxieties or beliefs.

Explain the "Define Terms" method for breaking down negative self-labels.

When labeling yourself negatively (e.g., "a fool" or "a loser"), questioning the definition of that label to realize its unreality and help break down global self-condemnation.

What is the primary purpose of "The Semantic Method"?

Substituting less colorful and emotionally loaded language, particularly helpful for reframing "should statements" (e.g., changing "I should have" to "It would be better if I had").

What does a "Cost-Benefit Analysis" involve in challenging cognitive distortions?

Listing the advantages and disadvantages of a particular feeling, negative thought, or behavior pattern to evaluate its overall impact and facilitate change.