Common MisThinkings
Further there are many ‘thinking errors’ or common misthinkings defined by cognitive behavioral therapy as defined in the book ‘Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Made Simple’.
Here is a list of common misthinkings:
| Type | Description | Example |
| Black and white | Seeing things in extreme | If I do badly on this exam, I’m an idiot |
| Shoulding | Way we want things is way ought to be | I should have been more patient or not acted |
| Overgeneralization | One instance applies to everything | I don’t know the answer to the question, so I don’t know any answers |
| Catastrophizing | Thinking a situation is much worse than it is | A customer got really made at me so my boss will probably fire me |
| Discounting the positive | Minimize evidence that contradicts one’s negative automatic thoughts | She said yes when I asked her out only because she felt sorry for me |
| Emotional reasoning | Assuming our feelings convey useful information | My nervousness about flying means there’s a good chance my plane will crash |
| Fortune telling | Making predictions on scant information | The rental company probably won’t have any cars left |
| Mind reading | Assuming we know what someone else is thinking | They thought I looked like an idiot when I couldn’t get my slides to load |
| Personalization | Thinking events that have nothing to do with us are actually about us | She seems upset – it’
s probably because of something I did |
| Entitlement | Expecting to reach a certain outcome based on our actions | I deserve to be promoted after working hard |
| Outsourcing happiness | Giving outside factors the final say regarding our emotions | I can’t be happy unless othes give me the respect I deserve |
| False sense of helplessness | Believing we have less power than we actually do | There’s no point in applying for jobs – nobody going to hire me |
| False sense of responsibility | Believing we have more power than we actually do | If I were a more interesting speaker, nobody would every yawn during my talks |
Check my other article to learn more and start thinking differently!
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