The 10 Cognitive Distortions

All-or-Nothing Thinking

Black-and-White Thinking

The 0-or-100 Perfectionist

A habit of seeing things at the two extremes, as either perfect or a failure. The “pretty good” in between gets hard to see.

Overgeneralization

The Prophet of “Always”

A habit of taking one or two events and stretching them into “this always happens” or “it’ll be the same every time.”

Mental Filter

The Observer Behind Foggy Glass

A habit where, even when plenty went well, the one thing that bothered you is what stays in your mind.

Disqualifying the Positive

Discounting the Positive

The Master of Brushing Off Compliments

A habit of canceling out successes and compliments as “just luck” or “just being nice,” so they never count in your favor.

Jumping to Conclusions

Mind Reading, Fortune Telling

The Detective Who Runs Ahead

A habit of deciding, without clear evidence, that people feel badly about you or that things will turn out badly.

Magnification and Minimization

Catastrophizing

The Two-Way Magnifying Glass

A habit of blowing up your own mistakes and weak points while shrinking your strengths and what you do for others.

Emotional Reasoning

The One Who Reads Feelings as Forecasts

A habit of treating feelings as evidence of facts: “I feel this way, so it must be true.”

Should Statements

The Keeper of the Rulebook

A habit of holding strong personal rules like “I should” and “I have to,” and blaming yourself or others when they aren’t kept.

Labeling

Mislabeling

The One-Word Name Giver

A habit of taking a single action and naming the whole person: “I’m a sloppy person,” “They’re a cold person.”

Personalization

The Kind Soul Who Carries the Blame

A habit of taking on events that aren’t necessarily your fault, wondering “Was it something I did?”