overgeneralization
Too-sweeping a conclusion
Overgeneralization is drawing broad conclusions from limited evidence or applying a rule too widely.
A child who says "goed" instead of "went" is overgeneralizing the past-tense rule.
In reasoning, it's the error of assuming what's true in some cases must be true in all: One bad experience and she swore off dating entirely.
The term appears frequently in psychology, linguistics, and logic.
Without partial outcomes
- black-and-whiteWithout color gradations
- overreachExceed one's capacity
- stereotypingOversimplified group-based judgments
- absolutismUnrestricted governmental authority
At all times
none · every · no-one · everywhere · constant · invariably · hyperbole · exaggeration
Preformed unfavorable opinion
- pigeonholeClassify too rigidly
- typecastRepeatedly assigned similar roles
- labelIdentifying attachment or marker
- profileSide-facing outline
stigmatize · caricature · trope · cliche · homogenize · essentialism · discrimination · xenophobia
Distilling to essential qualities
- categorizationArranging into groups
- schemaOrganized representational structure
- inferenceConclusion reached through reasoning
- inductionFormal admission process
extrapolation · conceptualization · heuristic · reasoning · judgment · prototype · exemplar · assimilation
Remove essential complexity
- reductionismExplaining wholes through parts
- broad-brushGeneral, not detailed
- flattenMake level or smooth
- conflateMerge distinct elements
one-size-fits-all · cookie-cutter · overextend · universalize · absolutize
all-or-nothing
Without partial outcomes
- black-and-whiteWithout color gradations
- overreachExceed one's capacity
- stereotypingOversimplified group-based judgments
always
At all times
all · none · every · no-one · everywhere · constant · invariably · hyperbole · exaggeration · overstatement
prejudice
Preformed unfavorable opinion
- pigeonholeClassify too rigidly
- typecastRepeatedly assigned similar roles
- labelIdentifying attachment or marker
profile · stigmatize · caricature · trope · cliche · homogenize · essentialism · discrimination · xenophobia · sexism
abstraction
Distilling to essential qualities
- categorizationArranging into groups
- schemaOrganized representational structure
- inferenceConclusion reached through reasoning
induction · extrapolation · conceptualization · heuristic · reasoning · judgment · prototype · exemplar · assimilation · accommodation
oversimplify
Remove essential complexity
- reductionismExplaining wholes through parts
- broad-brushGeneral, not detailed
- flattenMake level or smooth
conflate · one-size-fits-all · cookie-cutter · overextend · universalize · absolutize
- child languagebabbling, first words, cooing, language development, speech development
- logical fallaciesfallacy, straw man, ad hominem, red herring, false dilemma
- thinking errorsad hominem, straw man, slippery slope, confirmation bias, sunk cost fallacy
- thought patternsrumination, overthinking, catastrophizing, magical thinking, negative thinking
- thought trapscatastrophizing, mind reading, fortune telling, personalization, labeling
- irrationalityirrationality, unreason, illogic, madness, insanity
overgeneralizationspecification
Detailed technical requirement
particularization · individualization · contextualization · differentiation · understatement
overgeneralizationnuance
Slight shade of difference
differentiation · discrimination · precision · specificity · exactness
overgeneralizationprecision
Accuracy of measurement
discernment · discrimination · circumspection · judiciousness · scrupulousness
general, generally, generality, generalize, generalization, generalist, overgenerous, overgeneralize, overgeneralized