Cognitive distortions are both a cause and a consequence of mental rigidity. They contribute to the representation of a reality that is fed by pre-established definitions and is the product of the need for coherence.
Cognitive distortions: the editors of estet-portal.com decided to figure out what they are and how to get rid of them?
- Cognitive distortion and its essence
- 7 Mistakes the Mind Makes
- How to identify cognitive distortions and how to get rid of negative thoughts
Cognitive distortion and its essence
The human mind is more like an information processor than a camera. Judgments, beliefs, predictions about the future, memory of past experiences. A mental act is an attempt to give meaning to reality, to understand it.
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For example, are you standing in line at the post office and suddenly, in front of you, two people start arguing because someone was trying to move forward, or are they provoking each other by being nervous about the long wait? Or maybe they already knew each other and have old unresolved issues? The answer is not obvious. In the end, all explanations you give yourself are subjective and depend on your cognitive style.
If you are an optimist – you will not be as worried or disappointed as a person who, on the contrary, is suspicious of others and afraid of the future. In any case, your "inner world" will have a specific sequence. In fact, truth is not the main goal of the mind and is not happiness, but is consistent.
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In the past, you have probably come across information that contrasted with deep-seated confidence. You may have resolved this cognitive dissonance by changing your mind, i.e. abandoning the old way of thinking. But the easiest way is if you ignore or minimize this conflicting information, remaining tied to the starting position.
Cognitive Distortions both cause and effect of mental stiffness. They contribute to the representation of reality by feeding on their own beliefs, and are the fruit of the need to maintain order in this reality.
7 Mistakes the Mind Makes
1. Selective abstraction of information
You are using selective information abstraction if you view only data in accordance with your beliefs and ignore or underestimate data that is not. Cognitive distortion is a consequence of mind tending to dwell only on those parts of reality that confirm its preconceived vision.
2. Hypergeneralization
You overgeneralize when you extend, for no good reason, the interpretation of one event to others with similar characteristics. Hypergeneralization means making a global decision based on a particular episode and is due to the tendency to extract absolute rules from individual cases: "If it happened this time, then it will always be"; “If it is true now, it will be so in the future.”
3. Mind Reading
Mind reading consists of attributing something to others, in the absence of objective evidence, certain judgments, intentions, or feelings. This cognitive error is the result of having to predict the behavior of others, and is also an attitude that often causes us to confuse reality with imagination. But there is worse: sometimes it leads to the fact that we do not want to. How do you think you would behave if you were convinced that the person with whom you are having dinner considers a date a complete disaster? How will the evening go then?
4. Personalization
In the absence of hard evidence, personalization means reporting the causes of events. This mistake is made, first of all, by the one who is not confident in himself, who is prone to judgment, has an excessive need for approval and fear of criticism of others. At its extreme, this is called paranoia, a set of persecutory beliefs that take on the connotation of delusion.
5. Emotional Thinking
Emotional reasoning means interpreting an event or circumstance in the light of how you feel, without rational mediation. Facts do not determine judgment, but feelings. The one who thinks with emotions eventually confuses the state of the soul in order to prove the kindness or not the kindness of choices, opportunities, circumstances.
6. Zoom in and out
Increasing and minimizing are two opposite poles of the same cognitive error. Increasing is the typical attitude of those who exaggerate problems, and those who minimize, reduce and underestimate when it is undesirable.
7. Dichotomous or polarized thinking
Dichotomous thinking consists in a binary processing of reality without intermediate gradations and is a cognitive distortion resulting from the need to simplify reality. Dichotomous thinking, that is, "all or nothing", underlies both extremist views and ethical and aesthetic categories (right and wrong, good and bad, beautiful and bad).
How to identify cognitive distortions and how to get rid of negative thoughts
Here are some dysfunctional thinking tips that can help you combat cognitive distortions and repetitive thoughts:
- Think about your thoughts: Keeping a diary is a good way to recognize and gain confidence in your dysfunctional thoughts and explore these "deviations". The idea is to rationalize bad thoughts and stop them before they turn into dangerous and limiting beliefs.
- Ask yourself questions: it's important to start asking yourself questions, questioning your dysfunctional beliefs: "Am I sure the other person said that to hurt me, or did they just want to give me advice?"&rdquo ;
- Try to consider the point of view of others: not everyone has the same opinion, and understanding how others see things can enrich your vision. For example, from time to time try asking yourself, "How would my friend interpret this situation?"
- Look for reliable sources of information: it is important to compare our thinking with the sources we have so that we do not fall into catastrophic thoughts.
- Develop your critical thinking: it's never too late to think more analytically, so you will reason and rule out the simplest conclusion. For example, evaluate the advantages and disadvantages when you have to make an important decision.
- Ask someone close to you: If you think you are overwhelmed by cognitive distortion - you can talk to someone you trust. This will help you look at the situation from a different perspective.
Eliminating Negative Thoughts Cognitive Distortions: Tips for Preventing Their Capture
1. Remember that it is possible to change the way you think: the negative experiences we encounter throughout life mark and influence the way we perceive things. We cannot change the past, but we can change our attitude and how we approach it in everyday life. We cannot overcome cognitive distortions without effort, it is only possible with perseverance and great conviction. You can try to look at the positive side, focusing less on the negative.
2. Pay attention to your speech: The way we express ourselves verbally has a big impact on our behavior and beliefs.
Too much repetition of "what a terrible life" leads us to a pessimistic attitude. Changing the way of expression is the first step towards change.
3. Rely on your loved ones: you may think that friends or family cannot understand how you feel, that there is no time to explain everything, or that it is not important. In any case, maintaining stable interpersonal relationships is one of the weapons to combat tension and anxiety. Talking about our problems and what worries us is extremely important in order to feel better and keep negative thoughts away.
4. If you need help, trust a professional: in some cases, even if we try to follow the basic advice, we need to enlist the help of a specialist. Feel free to fall into the hands of an expert - improving your living conditions is possible, you just have to try!
If you understand how the mind works, you can take the necessary step to go beyond it. If you fight cognitive distortions every day, you will feel like a master of thoughts, free from prejudice and ready for a fulfilling life.