The following are thinking patterns that many people exhibit. They are called distorted thinking due to their irrational nature. Most of the time we use them unknowingly, therefore, by becoming more aware of our own distorted beliefs, we can rationally challenge the beliefs and change. Upon changing, our moods can change as well.
1.Filtering: You take negative details and magnify them, while filtering out all aspects of a situation.
2. Polarized Thinking or Black and White Thinking: Things are black and white. Good or bad. You have to be perfect or you are a failure.
3.Overgeneralization: You come to a general conclusion based on a single incident or piece of evidence. If something bad happens once, you expect it to happen over and over again.
4.Mind Reading: Without their saying so, you know what people are feeling and why they act the way they do.
5.Catastrophizing: You expect disaster. You notice or hear about a problem and start the what game: What if tragedy strikes? What if it happens to you?
6.Personalization: Thinking that everything you do or say has some kind of reaction to you. You also compare yourself to others, trying to compare who is smarter, who is better looking, etc.
7.Control Fallacies: If you feel externally controlled, you see yourself as helpless, a victim of fate.
8.Fallacy of Fairness: You feel resentful because you feel you know what is fair but other people will not agree with you.
9.Blaming: You hold other people responsible for your pain, or take the other tack and blame yourself for every problem or reversal.
10.Shoulds or Should Thinking: You have an ironclad list about how you and other people should act. People who break the rules anger you and you feel guilty if you break the rules.
11.Emotional Reasoning: You feel that what you feel must be true-automatically. If you feel boring and stupid, then you must be boring and stupid.
12.Fallacy of Change: You feel other people must change to suit you if you just pressure them enough. You need to change people, because your hopes depend entirely on them.
13.Global Labeling: You generalize one or two qualities into a negative global judgement.
14.Being Right or Being a Right Fighter:You are continually on trial to prove your actions or opinions are right. Being wrong is unthinkable and you will go to any length to demonstrate you rightness.
15.Heavenly Reward Fallacy: You expect all your sacrifice and self denial to pay-off, as if there were someone keeping score. You feel bitter when the reward does not come.
16.Passive Thinking: You believe your wants or needs are not important enough to assert to others.
1.Filtering: You take negative details and magnify them, while filtering out all aspects of a situation.
2. Polarized Thinking or Black and White Thinking: Things are black and white. Good or bad. You have to be perfect or you are a failure.
3.Overgeneralization: You come to a general conclusion based on a single incident or piece of evidence. If something bad happens once, you expect it to happen over and over again.
4.Mind Reading: Without their saying so, you know what people are feeling and why they act the way they do.
5.Catastrophizing: You expect disaster. You notice or hear about a problem and start the what game: What if tragedy strikes? What if it happens to you?
6.Personalization: Thinking that everything you do or say has some kind of reaction to you. You also compare yourself to others, trying to compare who is smarter, who is better looking, etc.
7.Control Fallacies: If you feel externally controlled, you see yourself as helpless, a victim of fate.
8.Fallacy of Fairness: You feel resentful because you feel you know what is fair but other people will not agree with you.
9.Blaming: You hold other people responsible for your pain, or take the other tack and blame yourself for every problem or reversal.
10.Shoulds or Should Thinking: You have an ironclad list about how you and other people should act. People who break the rules anger you and you feel guilty if you break the rules.
11.Emotional Reasoning: You feel that what you feel must be true-automatically. If you feel boring and stupid, then you must be boring and stupid.
12.Fallacy of Change: You feel other people must change to suit you if you just pressure them enough. You need to change people, because your hopes depend entirely on them.
13.Global Labeling: You generalize one or two qualities into a negative global judgement.
14.Being Right or Being a Right Fighter:You are continually on trial to prove your actions or opinions are right. Being wrong is unthinkable and you will go to any length to demonstrate you rightness.
15.Heavenly Reward Fallacy: You expect all your sacrifice and self denial to pay-off, as if there were someone keeping score. You feel bitter when the reward does not come.
16.Passive Thinking: You believe your wants or needs are not important enough to assert to others.
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