cognitive distortions
Mental reasoning flaws
Cognitive distortions are habitual patterns of thinking that misrepresent reality, typically in negative or self-defeating ways.
The term comes from cognitive behavioral therapy, where identifying these distortions is central to treatment.
Common examples include catastrophizing (assuming the worst), black-and-white thinking (seeing no middle ground), and overgeneralization (one failure means you always fail).
His therapist helped him recognize his cognitive distortions.
- overgeneralizationUnwarranted broad application
- schemasConceptual organizing structures
- anxietyPersistent apprehensive distress
- attribution theoryHow we explain behavior
- depressionProlonged low state
self-doubt · metacognition · catastrophizing · fortune telling · stress · labeling · jumping to conclusions · personalization · low self-esteem · emotional reasoning · blaming · inner critic · psychoeducation · emotional dysregulation · rumination · thought patterns · exposure therapy · constructivism
- traumaabuse, abandonment, abandonment trauma, acute stress, amnesia
- inner dialogueself-talk, inner voice, inner dialogue, inner monologue, mental chatter
- criminologycrime, criminology, criminal behavior, criminologist, criminalization
- psychopathypsychopathy, sociopathy, lack of empathy, superficial charm, pathological lying
- trauma responsesPTSD, flashbacks, flashback, hypervigilance, dissociation
cognitive distortionsclear thinking
cognitive distortionscognitive health
Brain function condition
mental wellness · cognitive flexibility · emotional regulation · psychological resilience · positive psychology
cognitive distortionslogical reasoning
Structured thought process
rational thinking · critical thinking · logical analysis · good judgment · intellectual rigor
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