List of Cognitive Distortions and How to Challenge Them (PsyCap 14)

We all have experienced limiting, self-defeating thoughts at one point or another. Have you ever tried to pinpoint them and figure out what is actually going on inside your head? Using a list of cognitive distortions is very helpful if you want to identify, challenge and adjust your negative thoughts.

The following may resonate with you:

• This will never get better
• I mess up all the time
• I am a failure
• It’s all my fault
• They are always like this
• I wonder what I did wrong
• This is not fair
• My accomplishment doesn’t really count because…
• If that person would change, I would be a lot better off

Such thoughts if left unchecked can hold us back from reaching our goals and cause us to be anxious, angry, or dissatisfied. However, it’s possible to counter such thoughts and by doing so become more resilient. In fact, when we adjust our negative thinking, we’re able to evaluate ourselves and situations more accurately. Because our view of things is no longer distorted by negative thoughts, we’re equipped to respond ideally in the midst of setbacks.

List of Cognitive Distortions (Post 1)

Distortion	Descirption
1.) Filtering	You ignore the positive aspects of a situation and focus on the negative things.
2.) Polarized Thinking	You think in extremes, shades of grey do not exist.
3.) Overgeneralization	When something does not go well you consider it a never-ending pattern of defeat.

List of Cognitive Distortions (Post 2)

Distortion	Description
4.) Magnification (Catastrophizing) and Minimization	You blow negative events way out of proportion. You also diminish the meaning or value of positive events.
5.) Jumping to Conclusions – Mind Reading	You assume others harbor a negative feeling towards you when there is no evidence of this.
6.) Jumping to Conclusions – Predicting	You assume future events will turn out negatively even though there is no indication of this.
7.) Disqualifying the Positive	You disqualify your accomplishments or positive qualities because you feel they don’t count.
8.) Personalization	You feel responsible and guilty for negative outcomes that are not your fault.

List of Cognitive Distortions (Post 3)

Distortion	Description
9.) Emotional Reasoning	Your interpretation of events and reasonings are determined by your feelings.
10.) Control Fallacies	You believe you have no control over outcomes. With the other extreme, you believe you have full control over your environment and are responsible for the feelings of those around you.
11.) Fallacy of Fairness	You have a strong conviction of what is fair and feel very resentful when things do not align with your expectations.
12.) Should Statements	You apply a set of rules to yourself and others and dish out criticism in the form of “should”, “ought” or “must”.

List of Cognitive Distortions (Post 4)

Distortion	Description
13.) Labeling	You reduce yourself or others to a single usually negative descriptor.
14.) Fallacy of Change	You expect that if others change it will make you happier.
15.) Blaming	You blame others for problems without considering how your own attitude or actions may have contributed to the negative outcome.
16.) Always Being Right	You see your own opinions as facts while discounting opposing viewpoints.
17.) Heaven’s Reward Fallacy	You expect that your sacrifice and hard work today will cause you to receive a reward in the future and are embittered when it does not work out.

How to Challenge Cognitive Distortions

The following is a great summary of effective strategies to adjust negative thought patterns:

Strategy	Explanation
1.) Identify the Distortion	Write down your negative thoughts and try to figure out which cognitive distortion/s may be affecting you. Once you know what these are, you can begin to adjust them with more realistic and optimistic thoughts.
2.) Examine the evidence	Look at the evidence. Do the facts support your assumption, or do they support another viewpoint? What evidence is contrary to your negative belief.
3.) The Double Standard Method	Talk to yourself in the same compassionate way you would to a friend who is struggling with a similar situation.
4.) The Experimental Technique	Do an experiment to see if your negative thought is really true.
5.) Thinking in Shades of Grey	Start evaluating things on a scale of 0 to 100. If you feel like you failed, think of the situation as partial success, not complete failure.
6.) The Survey Method	Ask people questions to find out if your thoughts or feelings are accurate.
7.) Define Terms	If you find yourself using labels, try to define what that label is. As a result, you will most likely see that there is no such thing or that the label is not accurate.
8.) The Semantic Method	Substitute limiting, self-defeating, self-condemning language with less emotionally charged words. In addition, you can reframe should statements with more compassionate language.
9.) Re-attribution	Consider the many factors that contributed to a problem. If blaming, reflect on how your actions contributed to the outcome. If enganging in personalization, consider how others’ actions contributed.
10.) Cost-Benefit Analysis	What are the costs and benefits of feeling this way or having these thoughts? Is it beneficial to carry out this behavior? Another question you can ask yourself is, “What are the consequences of thinking this way?”

Automatic Thought Record

One of the most popular and effective exercises in cognitive behavioral therapy is the automatic thought record. As a result of practicing this you are enabled to:

• Examine your negative thoughts
• Understand what situations serve as triggers
• Identify the accompanying emotions
• Learn how to develop a more beneficial response to these situations.

Step 1

First, write down the date and time of the situation that led you to experience the problematic emotions and thoughts.

Step 2

Second, take some time to describe the situation. What are the events surrounding this situation, what happened exactly, what caused your negative emotions?

Step 3

Third, write down the negative thoughts you had in this situation. What images, what scenarios came up in your mind? Be as detailed as possible. Rate how much you believed these thoughts during the situation on a scale of 1 (not a all) to 10 (completely).

Step 4

Fourth, identify the emotions that accompanied these thoughts and images. Rate these emotions on a scale of 1 (barely) to 10 (overwhelming) of how intensely you felt them.

The following feeling wheel is helpful for pinpointing your emotions.

Step 5

Fith, using the list of 17 cognitive distortions try to identify any destructive thought patterns you are engaging in.

What is evidence that your automatic thoughts are true? Not true?

What is the worst-case scenario and the probability this will take place on a scale from 1 (not at all) to 10 (extremely)?

What is the best possible outcome? How likely is this scenario on a scale from 1 (not at all) to 10 (extremely)?

Let’s aim to find some middle ground. Write down a more likely outcome and rate the probability of this happening on a scale from 1 (not at all) to 10 (extremely).

Step 6

Sixth, describe how would you encourage and comfort a friend who is going through a similar situation?

How do you feel now after working on this exercise?

Do you still think that your automatic thoughts are accurate? Rate how much you believe these thoughts now on a scale of 1 (not at all) to 10 (completely).

What emotions do you feel and how intense they are?

Facts vs. Opinions Exercise

A common characteristic of cognitive distortions is that thoughts and emotions are perceived as facts. Hence, you suffer from a distorted view of reality. It is an obvious statement, but opinions are not facts. Nevertheless, in the heat of the moment it is sometimes difficult to make this distinction. If we practice differentiating facts and opinions, we will be better equipped to challenge and adjust unproductive thoughts when they arise.

The following worksheet is a good exercise that helps you distinguish between facts and opinions.

Summary

In this article we reviewed seventeen common cognitive distortions and highlighted effective ways to undo them. Strategies for adjusting cognitive distortions include:

• 10 ways to challenge cognitive distortions
• Automatic thought record exercise
• Facts vs. opinions exercise

By identifying and disputing our negative, self-defeating thoughts, we gain mental clarity and are able to view ourselves and our environment more realistically. This is crucial for building resilience and bouncing back when confronted with setbacks.

With the next article, we continue to build resilience by developing healthy coping strategies. I look forward to growing and thriving with you all!

Resources

Burns, David D. Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy. New York, N.Y: Penguin Books, 1981. Print.

Joyce S, Shand F, Tighe J, et alRoad to resilience: a systematic review and meta-analysis of resilience training programmes and interventionsBMJ Open 2018;8:e017858. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-017858

Knowles, S., Apputhurai, P., & Bates, G. (2017). Development and validation of the brief unhelpful thoughts scale (BUTs). Journal of Psychology & Psychotherapy, 4, 61-70.