C
OGNITIVE
DISTORTIONS
Catastrophizing:
You tell yourself that the very worst is happening
or is going to happen.
Overestimating Probabilities/ Underestimating Coping
Response:
You overestimate difficulty or danger while
underestimating your ability to cope with the
situation.
All-or-Nothing (Black-and-White) Thinking:
You view a situation in extremes rather than on a
continuum.
Over-generalizing:
You generalize from one situation to the next,
believing that future experiences will be similar or
identical to past experiences.
Self-Confirmatory Bias:
You find “evidence” that helps you justify or
maintain your belief system.
Emotional Reasoning:
You think something must be true simply because it
“feels” true.
Overvaluing Thoughts:
You ascribe credibility and meaning to senseless or
random thoughts.
Overvaluing Sensations:
You misinterpret bodily sensations as being
exaggerated, life-threatening or dangerous.
Worrying as Superstitious Thinking:
Continuing to worry helps you feel that you will not
be caught off-guard. It also feels like constant
worrying could ward off the dreaded situation.
Foreclosure:
You focus on the possible ways that a
situation might end, because it feels too hard to be
in a state of uncertainty.
Mind Reading:
You guess what others are thinking, and refrain from
checking to see whether your impressions are
correct.
Should Statements:
You think in terms of how you, others, or the world
“should” be. This type of thinking usually
accompanies perfectionism and/or a rigid style of
thinking.
Discounting the Positive:
You minimize or
discount any positive feedback or perspective while
maintaining a familiar, negative outlook.
Beck’s Negative Triad:
You have a negative view of the self; negative view
of the world; and negative view of the future.
Note to reader: This list is a compilation of some
commonly used terms that have been originated,
modified and/or re-stated by many
cognitive-behavioral therapists. Dr. Stone therefore
does not claim authorship to these terms.
