What are the cognitive distortions?

Cognitive distortions are those erroneous ways we process information., that is, misinterpretations of what is happening around us, generating multiple negative consequences. People who suffer from depression have a vision of reality in which cognitive distortions play a main role.

To a greater or lesser extent, We can all have some type of cognitive distortion. Knowing how to detect and analyze them will help us have a clearer mind, developing more realistic and, above all, positive attitudes. We present below which are the most important cognitive distortions:

Personalization

Personalization refers to when people feel 100% responsible for events in which they have barely participated. or even in those in which they have not participated at all.

For example, Ana’s son has taken an exam and failed. Ana thinks that she has failed in the education of her son, that she has made some mistake because if she had done it well, her son would have passed.

Selective abstraction or filtering

Selective abstraction or filtering consists of focusing attention on those negative and inappropriate aspects that are in accordance with our schemes and ignore or barely take into account the rest of the information.

The negative is filtered, the positive is forgotten. María made a cheesecake for her birthday, and she invited nine friends. Almost everyone likes María’s cake, except Laura who says that the jam that covers it is not very good. María feels bad and thinks that the cake is a disaster. (He has only kept the negative, he has completely omitted the positive aspects).

Overgeneralization

Overgeneralization is the tendency to believe that if something has happened once, it will happen many times. For example, Sonia left Pedro after two and a half years of dating. Pedro thinks “no one else will love me”, “I will never find anyone who wants to be with me.”».

Maximization and minimization

The cognitive distortion known as maximization and minimization consists of magnifying one’s own errors and the successes of others, and minimizing one’s own successes and the errors of others. For example: «I don’t care about the successes you have achieved in the past, they are no longer important. What matters now is that I have made that serious mistake.

Polarized thinking

Polarized thinking consists of evaluating events in an extreme way, without taking into account intermediate aspects. See things white or black, false or true.

For example, “If I don’t get this job perfect, the effort will have been useless, it will be a disaster” or a person who can’t find a job who thinks “I’m incompetent and useless.” It is one of the cognitive distortions most used in discussions with others when we use terms such as “always”, “never”, “everything” or “nothing”.

emotional reasoning

Emotional reasoning refers to people’s assumption that their emotions reflect how things are. Believing that what you feel emotionally is necessarily true.

If a person feels irritated it is because someone has done something to irritate them. “I feel incompetent, therefore I am incompetent” or “I feel that way, therefore it must be true.”

“I should” and “I have to” statements

“Shoulds” or “have tos” are rigid, inflexible beliefs about how one or others should be.. Demands focused on oneself favor self-criticism, while those directed towards others favor rage, anger and aggressiveness.

Some examples might be, “I should have been more attentive to my husband so he wouldn’t have left me,” “I shouldn’t make mistakes,” “others should act well toward me,” or “everyone should like me.”

Arbitrary inference

Another type of cognitive distortion is Arbitrary Inference that consists of taking certain assumptions for granted, even if there is no evidence for it. There are two ways to do it:

Thought Divination. Thinking you know what others think and why they behave the way they do. “She just wants to make me nervous,” “She just wants to laugh at me,” “She feels sorry for me,” or “she’s with you for your money.”fortune telling. Expecting things to go wrong, without allowing the possibility of them being neutral or positive. “I’m going to suspend”.

Labeling

Pejorative “labels” to describe oneself, rather than describing the facts or qualities accurately. For example, “I’m useless” instead of “I’ve made a mistake, but sometimes I don’t make it.”

Ought

Like cognitive distortions, “should” statements are strict rules that you set for yourself and others without considering the details of a circumstance. Things they must be a certain way without exceptions.

Where do cognitive distortions come from?

Research suggests that People develop cognitive distortions as a way to cope with adverse life events. The longer and more severe these adverse events are, the more likely it is that one or more cognitive distortions will form. This study found that an increase in life adversity is associated with an increase in cognitive distortions, which in turn was related to a greater number of symptoms reflecting behavioral problems.

There is an evolutionary theory that maintains that Humans might have developed cognitive distortions as a kind of evolutionary survival method. That is, they are natural consequences of the use of defensive strategies against possible threats.

This theory states that in various situations, especially those involving threats, humans evolved to think adaptively rather than logically. Thus, Cognitive distortions are not strictly errors in the functioning of the brain, but, rather, a reflection of its basic designwhich sought to survive at all costs and successfully face or avoid dangers.

Other very common cognitive distortions

Interpretation of thought: The person believes they know what others truly think and feel and makes assumptions about it. For example: “He told me that he loves me, but he only did it because I make him feel sorry for me.”Be right: thinking that I must be right about everything or else I lose my worth. Thus, I perceive as enemies or threats all those who do not think like me and I constantly seek to impose my criteria.Control fallacy: believe that we have total responsibility for what happens, or quite the opposite. For example: “I can’t do anything to change my situation” or “everything that has happened to me is because of me.”Fallacy of change: thinking that one’s well-being depends totally on the actions of others and that until they change, there is nothing to do. “If my partner was more romantic, I would be happy.”fallacy of justice: judge as unfair everything that does not conform to our expectations. Expecting reciprocity from others and from life and getting frustrated when it doesn’t happen. For example: “Everyone should try at the same level as me, it’s unfair that they don’t.”Catastrophic vision: In each situation we choose to wait for the worst outcome, even if there is no evidence for it and it is extremely unlikely. For example: “He should have arrived 15 minutes ago, he must have had an accident.”Blame: the belief that one is guilty of what happens to others; or, on the contrary, that others are responsible for our misfortune.Divine reward fallacy: It consists of the irrational idea of ​​believing that, based on today’s suffering or sacrifice, we will receive a reward in the future.Disqualification of the positive: downplay or ignore positive experiences, focusing only on what is going wrong.

How to work on cognitive distortions?

Cognitive distortions lead us to interpret reality in a harmful and non-functional way. They can affect our relationships with others and our mental health. and lead us to make wrong decisions. Therefore, it is essential to work on them.

It is practically impossible to eliminate them all; However, we can reduce its influence on our lives. And, for this, professional help is highly recommended. In any case, the objective is become aware of which of these distortions are present in us and examine them. Every time you find yourself thinking in any of the ways described above, ask yourself, “Do I really have evidence to validate what I think?”

To the contrast beliefs with reality It will be easy for us to discover that they are not realistic. And, from this point, we can explore other, more positive ways of interpreting the same event.

7 guidelines to change cognitive distortions

In addition to the previous recommendations, you can also apply the following suggestions that will help you modify cognitive distortions.

1. Identify the thought

When you realize that a thought is causing you anxiety or affecting your mood, you need to Inquire about what type of cognitive distortion you are experiencing. Most irrational thought patterns can be reversed once you become aware of them.

2. Reframe the situation

Try to find alternative explanations that can better justify the situation. This can give you a more realistic interpretation of the event. It can be very helpful to write down the irrational thought followed by the alternative interpretations.

3. Conduct a cost-benefit analysis

Determine how distortions have helped you cope in the past. Do they give you a sense of control or allow you to avoid responsibility? Through this, you can consider what you are having trouble coping with the situation adaptively. Weighing the costs and benefits of distortions might motivate you to change them.

4. Replace absolutes

Instead of using words like “always” and “everyone,” try using words like “sometimes.” For example, instead of ‘I’m always wrong’, you could say ‘sometimes I’m wrong’. This can prevent you from generalizing statements to every situation.

5. Label the behavior

Instead of labeling yourself with negative terms, it is more helpful label the behavior in an objective way. For example, instead of saying, “I’m too lazy to clean,” you could say, “I didn’t clean today.” The label “lazy” does not apply to all situations in your life.

6. Find the evidence

Ask yourself if there is any evidence to support your distortion. Write down all the evidence for and against it.. You may discover that there is a lot of evidence to dispute your irrational thinking and that there may be many facts that you are ignoring. Looking for evidence encourages you to find alternative explanations and consider how realistic your distortions are.

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