"COGNITIVE
DISTORTION
|
EXAMPLE
DESCRIPTION
|
1. | Mind Reading p
Lart
W_
2
e
their thoughts
m
future- that things will
ict
Youpredthe
ere is
:
i
‘
He thinkd I'm a loser.
t
You assume that
I'll fail that exam.
d | I won't get thatjob.
A
You bellgve that what has happened or
| petastrophizing
-
3.
land
be so
will awfu
be ablejto
won't
that you
m
We
~
It would be terrible if |
"
failed
I'm undesirable.
He’s a rotten person.
4
)
That's what wives are
supposed to do- so it
doesn’t count when she’s
nice to me.
sh
5.
—
-
Tier?
6. | NEgatve
ea———
Those successes were
m
easy, so the%l don't m'atter.
n’;‘(;:tlmmtm
ne‘mf
-
Resitives
i
You perceive a
_
7
[Pichotomous/
s
" | thinking
9.
L
it
—
“m
istofiaisingl
| se.em to fail at a lot of
things.
You view events, or people, in all-or-
| get rejected by everyone.
nothing terms
It was a waste of time.
OFhOW | | o101N o well If | dontt,
You interpreteventsin terms
than simply
M.her
-
on what is
focusmg
e
disproportionate
a ibut
ou attr
»
F._.“
s, F0)
o
ale gtk
ve
HEGa1
TERGIS
and
certain events are also causedby
others
“
i
'rl"::s generally happens to
ngidenl
nthe
other person-as
the uso
You foc
source of your negative feelings and
1
Look at all 6f the people
who don't like me.
you rew
chflrse!f
then I'm 4 failure.
My marriage ended
because | failed
'
| She's to blame for the way
| feel now.
My parents caused all my
problems.
[
COGNITIVE
DISTORTION |
|
yourself inferiorin the comparison;
could
You fw
——]
|
| could have had a béter
| job if | had tried.
have done bofter in the past, rather
[13. %
than on what you could do betternow | | shouldn't have said that.
P==""
|
that Wy
She’s more successful
than | am.
SWS
—
L
|
Yeah, ut what if I get
| anxious?
You ask a series of questions about
“what if” something happens, and you
|
areTever satisfied with any of the
14. | Ve
answers.
What if | can't catch my
‘ i‘
ey
fi
i
°
* | breath?
| feel depressed; therefore
.
EROHREY
15.
1
i better than §did
y on others Who.do | onoy therg test.
primaril
gthanter
focusin
you and then judg\.ngh
bet
W
12,
EXAMPLE
DESCRIPTION
my marriage is not
adfly
|
working out.
ipigiatio
I'm unlovaflle.-> rejection
of any evidence that
people like you as
irrelevant -> thought can
‘_
not be refuted.
16. w
That's not the real issue.
There are deeper
R,
L
problems. There are other
\
factots.
; in
lf
You view
yourse
other and
events
tefms of blackiwhite evaluations (goodbad or superior-inferior) ratherthan
.
I didn't perform well in \
college.
m
‘7.
If | take up\ennis, Iwo‘u't
5
i
5
agd
finding that you and others f:
rt.
You are fwmm%
|
do well.
Look how successful she
.
is. 1 am not successful.
Ffi_fls well as your own judgments
of wyn'
L]
'
—
From Cognitive Therapy Techniques: A Practitioner’s Guide by Robert L. Leahy. Copyright 2003 by Robert L.
[
Leahy. Permission to photocopy this form is granted to purchasers of this book.