Thinking about thinking: Patterns of cognitive distortions

The world is as we see it. Our thinking patterns dictate our world view and those patterns were being created way back in our childhoods. As adults, we have a responsibility to look at those thinking patterns or cognitive distortions and work to heal them.  I am providing a list for you to look over so that you can look at how your thinking may be creating your world view. This is a two part series.

1. All or nothing thinking: You see things in black and white categories. If a situation is slightly less than perfection, it will be a complete failure.

2. Over generalization: you see a single negative even as a rejection of the self. You live in a never ending pattern of defeat by using words like " always and never".

3.Mental filter: you pick out a singe negative detail and dwell on it exclusively. This detail overshadows every other detail in your reality and clouds them.

4.discounting the positive: You reject positive experiences by insisting that they don't count.

5: Jumping to conclusions: You interpret things negatively when there arte no facts to support that conclusion. this includes the negative cognitions of mindreading and fortune telling.

     Adapted from the Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center