10 patterns of distorted thinking …

Our thought life gets us into more trouble than most things do!

One of the reasons is that many people develop patterns of irrational thinking, called “cognitive distortions.” Here are 10 of the most common cognitive distortions that plague our thought lives:

All-or-none thinking
This is the “if-then” or “either-or” pattern of thinking. It’s a tendency to see things in absolute, black-and-white categories (and I don’t mean the “black and white” absolutes of scripture). An example, “Either I am perfectly competent in everything I do, or else I am a failure.”

Overgeneralization
This cognitive distortion is based on assuming bad things will happen over and over or things are always a certain way. For example, “I will always get caught in a traffic jam if driving in the afternoon.” It may seem that way based on where you live, but it doesn’t always happen.

Mental filtering
This distorted way of thinking comes from focusing on the negative parts of life and filtering out the positive — or vice versa. For example, “My job is awful because I don’t get paid enough” but possibly overlooking positive elements such as flexible hours, benefits, positive environment, etc.

Disqualifying the positive
Some people consistently discount their own success or compliments they receive. For example, “I got the promotion because I was lucky.”

Jumping to conclusions
One of the more prominent cognitive distortions, this is a tendency to try to read minds or “fortune telling.” For example, “Everybody is noticing my socks don’t match my shirt,” or “I’m going to fail this exam” even though no one can even see his socks or that she is well prepared for the test.

Magnification and minimization
This is simply magnifying errors and minimizing success, something you so often see done in groups of Christians! For example, “I’m terrible with the kids since I just yelled at them” might be magnifying this momentary lapse when usually this mom is consistently an awesome parent.

Emotional reasoning
Sadly, the church seems to have fallen for this one hook, line, and sinker, as we see it practiced in groups consistently. This cognitive distortion is about basing thoughts on feelings. For example, “I feel like a loser, therefore I am a loser.” Feelings may be fleeting, but facts can be stubborn things!

Should statements
I hear this cognitive distortion in distressed relationships all the time. These statements are a key factor in conflict. “Should statements” set arbitrary requirements without considering the consequences. For example, “I should be friendly with everyone I meet.” That’s sounds quite “Christian” but it’s not accurate. There are some people we might need to be cautious of; it doesn’t mean we have to be “un-friendly” but it might mean we shouldn’t start out being “friendly.”

Labeling and mislabeling
This happens often — it’s the categorizing of people based on limited exposure. For examples, “The person in the yellow car is really selfish,” or “The guy in the red shirt is really flashy.”

Personalization
This is accepting personal blame for some negative event involving others — those who often “play the victim” do this persistently. For example, “My family would be well-adjusted if it weren’t for me.”

These distorted patterns of thinking become an established part of our thought life and can cause us great difficulty. A competent, skilled Christian counselor can help a person identify these patterns in their own lives and make lasting changes to their thought life.

The single greatest change and improvement to our thinking is something we need to let God handle: “Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes,” Ephesians 4:23.

Scotty