Negative Thought Patterns & Cognitive Distortions

What Are Negative Thought Patterns?

Negative thought patterns, often referred to as cognitive distortions, are ways of thinking that are irrational and self-defeating.

They are closely linked to mental health issues like depression, anxiety, and stress, as they can distort reality and reinforce negative emotions.

Here are some of the most common negative thought patterns:

1. Black-and-White Thinking

Also known as all-or-nothing thinking, this is when you see things in extremes. If something isn’t perfect, it’s a total failure. For example, thinking, "If I don’t succeed in everything, I’m a complete failure."

2. Overgeneralisation

Overgeneralising involves seeing a single negative event as a never-ending pattern of defeat. For example, after one rejection, you might think, "I’ll never find a job."

3. Mental Filtering

This is when you focus only on the negative aspects of a situation and ignore the positive. For example, you may receive a lot of praise but focus solely on one critical comment.

4. Discounting the Positive

In this pattern, you acknowledge positive experiences but dismiss them as unimportant or accidental. You might think, "Anyone could have done that," even when you succeed.

5. Jumping to Conclusions

There are two common types: mind reading, where you assume others are thinking negatively about you without evidence, and fortune telling, where you predict future events will go badly without any basis.

6. Catastrophising

Catastrophic thinking is when you expect the worst-case scenario to happen or blow things out of proportion. For example, you might think, "If I make a mistake, my life will be ruined."

7. Emotional Reasoning

Emotional reasoning is when you believe that your negative feelings reflect the truth about reality. For example, if you feel guilty, you assume you must have done something wrong.

8. "Should" Statements

You impose strict rules on yourself or others, often leading to guilt, frustration, or resentment. For example, "I should always be successful" or "People should always be considerate." This is also known as imperative thinking.

9. Labelling and Mislabelling

Labelling is what happens when, instead of describing an error, you attach a negative label to yourself or others. For instance, if you make a mistake, you think, "I’m such a loser," rather than "I made a mistake."

10. Personalisation and Blame

Personalisation involves blaming yourself for things beyond your control, while blame involves blaming others for things that are your responsibility. For example, thinking, "It’s all my fault my friend is upset," or "It’s their fault I’m unhappy."