- Polarized Thinking: Viewing situations in extreme, binary terms (e.g., all-or-nothing), often leading to perfectionism or feelings of complete failure.
- Mental Filtering: Focusing exclusively on negative details while ignoring positive aspects of a situation, thereby distorting reality.
- Overgeneralization: Drawing broad, negative conclusions from a single event, assuming future similar events will yield the same negative outcome.
- Jumping to Conclusions: Making assumptions about others’ thoughts (mind reading) or predicting negative outcomes without evidence (fortune telling).
- Catastrophizing: Magnifying potential negative outcomes to worst-case scenarios or minimizing positive experiences, diminishing their value.
- Personalization: Taking external events personally, assuming blame or intent where none may exist, leading to unnecessary guilt or resentment.
- Blaming: Assigning responsibility for one’s pain or problems to others, avoiding personal accountability and adopting a victim mindset.
Parent Tip: Review the logic above to help your child master the concept of distorted thinking worksheet.
