Are you constantly jumping to the worst-case scenario?
Psychologist Aaron T. Beck originally developed the theory of cognitive distortions in the 1960s.
(Its one of the tenets of a very successful and fast-working mode of therapy calledcognitive therapy.)
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Spotting our own may be a little more challenging but possible.
Doing so usually brings lasting positive change in the way we experience stressors in our lives.
An interesting thing to note is that several cognitive distortions can work to our advantage.
The key is to know when and how to do so.
You might smile as you recognize one or two as familiar “friends.”
Click below to listen now.
I always get stuck in traffic!
My bosses never listen to me!
Overgeneralization
Those prone to overgeneralization take isolated events and assume all future events will be the same.
Youve witnessed this cognitive distortion firsthand.
Jumping to Conclusions
We do this all the time.
Can you think of examples of adults you know who do this?
I bet it’s possible for you to.
Another form of this distortion is known ascatastrophizing, where one imagines and expects the worst possible scenario.
It can lead to a lot of stress.
Emotional reasoners will consider their emotions about a situation as evidence rather than objectively looking at the facts.
Acting on these beliefs as fact can, understandably, contribute to even more problems to solve.
If your internal dialogue involves many shoulds, you may be influenced by this cognitive distortion.
Im just a useless worrier.
Its also a big no-no in relationship conflicts.
