Exploring the 15 Most Common Types of Distorted Thinking

Understanding the intricate workings of the human mind is a journey that often brings to light the prevalence of distorted thinking patterns. Rooted in the natural inclination of the brain to affirm its beliefs, distorted thinking shapes our perceptions and convictions. Dr. Matthew McKay, Dr. Martha Davis, and Patrick Fanning identified 15 prominent types of distorted thinking, shedding light on the cognitive habits that impact our daily lives.

Filtering
Polarization
Overgeneralization
Mind-reading
Catastrophizing
Personalization
Control Fallacies
Fallacy of Fairness
Blaming
Shoulds
Emotional Reasoning
Fallacy of Change
Global Labeling
Being Right
Heaven’s Reward Fallacy

1. Filtering
Choosing a selectively informed perspective by magnifying negative details while filtering out the positive, leading to the distortion of entire events and experiences.

2. Polarization
Engaging in dichotomous thinking, perceiving situations as either entirely good or entirely bad, often manifesting strongly in self-perceptions.

3. Overgeneralization
Drawing conclusions based on a single piece of evidence or experience, expecting similar outcomes and restricting life experiences based on past events.

4. Mind-reading
Assuming knowledge of others’ feelings and intentions, projecting personal biases onto their actions without considering alternative perspectives.

5. Catastrophizing
Always anticipating the worst possible outcome, driven by a lack of self-trust and a belief that one cannot adapt to change.

6. Personalization
Interpreting events solely in the context of their impact on oneself, exhibiting a lack of awareness that the world exists beyond personal engagement.

7. Control Fallacies
Feeling externally controlled or internally responsible for the happiness of others, often symptomatic of an unhealthy approach to taking control of one’s life.

8. Fallacy of Fairness
Believing in a subjective concept of fairness and righteousness, assuming that others should conform to personal opinions for problem resolution.

9. Blaming
Holding external factors or oneself entirely responsible for personal pain, leading to distorted accountability for life’s challenges.

10. Shoulds
Upholding rigid rules about how people should behave, often instilled through cultural, familial, or societal influences, resulting in judgment of others.

11. Emotional Reasoning
Believing that feelings must equate to truth without objective evaluation, contributing to internal conflicts and misalignment between emotions and rational thinking.

12. Fallacy of Change
Expecting others to change for one’s happiness, placing undue pressure on individuals and corroding relationships in the process.

13. Global Labeling
Generalizing qualities observed in a limited social circle to all of humanity, fostering stereotypical perceptions and hindering self-esteem and relationships.

14. Being Right
Feeling the constant need to prove one’s correctness, associating being wrong with being unworthy and fostering closed-mindedness.

15. Heaven’s Reward Fallacy
Imagining a cosmic scorecard for right and wrong actions, expecting rewards for sacrifices and good deeds without logical justification, leading to emotional and physical exhaustion.

Conclusion

By recognizing these 15 types of distorted thinking, individuals can embark on a journey of self-awareness and cognitive restructuring. Understanding the patterns that shape our thoughts empowers us to cultivate a more objective and rational perspective, fostering healthier relationships with ourselves and those around us.

You may also like: