Cognitive Distortions (+ Method)

2024 Author: Harry Day | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 15:43

Each of us perceives the surrounding reality through the prism of our attitudes, beliefs, beliefs, desires and fears. Therefore, the same event will be perceived differently by different people. Now it is very popular to say that “we create our own reality”, but this is not connected with “correct requests to the universe” and other mysticism. There is no magic in this.

We mistakenly believe that external circumstances evoke certain emotions in us. But it’s not a matter of circumstances or other people. We do not respond to reality, but to our interpretations of that reality.

Our beliefs are closely related to emotional states, and are also an activator of further actions. Without changing our own thinking, we cannot change the situation. And, no matter how hard they try, we “step on the same rake” again and again.

Cognitive distortions (A. T. Beck, 1989) are often characteristic of people with anxiety and depressive symptoms. Cognitive biases are:

1. Exaggeration (expectation of the worst result, which is nonetheless unlikely)
2. Simplification (diminishing the significance of an event or feeling when complete denial is impossible)
3. Absolutization (black and white thinking, all or nothing, always or never)
4. Over-generalization (to draw conclusions from a single case)
5. Emotional arguments (this is how I feel, so it's true)
6. Personalization (taking responsibility for things beyond our control)

Transformation of such distortions is one of the tasks of cognitive-behavioral therapy.

Such perceptions entail corresponding thoughts and beliefs. They are quite individual, the only common thing in them is that they prevent us from achieving our own goals, developing, being realized and being happy. Let's take a look at the most common irrational beliefs formulated by A. Ellis.

• Some situations are unbearable for me.
• I must earn the approval of my loved ones, otherwise I am worthless.
• All my needs must be met, otherwise my life is meaningless.
• The world should be fair to me.
• Some people are bad and wrong, they deserve to be punished.
• It's terrible when things don't turn out the way I want them to.
• My past completely defines the present.
• People cannot control their emotions, happiness is determined by external circumstances.
• Beliefs learned in childhood provide an adequate guide for adult life.
• I must always be efficient and competent.

It so happens that such beliefs are so familiar that we do not even notice how they arise in our head and affect our life. Therefore, I suggest that you write down those judgments that cause an internal response, and then divide the sheet of paper into two parts. In the first part, write what is the benefit for you in this belief, in the second - what negative consequences it carries in itself. Do this for each belief you choose. It will also be helpful to remember real-life experiences in your life when such irrational thoughts manifested themselves.

While we want the impossible (for example, so that the world around us is always fair and kind to us, so that everything will turn out as we want, so that others will always love and accept us), we suffer, because we focus our attention on what does not exist, and that we cannot control. We also take away from ourselves the opportunity to influence our imperfect, but real, life. Following irrational judgments, we continue to demand something from ourselves, the world, and the people around us, instead of taking responsibility and learning to live in reality without distorting it. But we can change that. The choice is always ours:)