Cognitive Distortions

Question 1

Which cognitive distortion forms the basis for perfectionism?

Answer 1

All or nothing thinking

Question 2

Which cognitive distortion will cause you to fear imperfection or making a mistake?

Answer 2

All or nothing thinking

Question 3

Black and white thinking. No shades of gray.

Answer 3

All or nothing thinking

Question 4

You arbitrarily conclude that one thing that happened to you once will occur over and over again. Since what happened is invariably unpleasant, you feel upset.

Answer 4

Overgeneralization

Question 5

The pain of rejection almost always comes from this cognitive distortion

Answer 5

Overgeneralization. Because someone turns you down once you believe it will always happen.

Question 6

You pick out a negative detail in any situation and dwell on it exclusively, thus perceiving that the whole situation is negative.

Answer 6

Mental filter

Question 7

Which cognitive distortion involves wearing glasses that filter out all the good?

Answer 7

Mental filtering

Question 8

This cognitive distortion is the persistent tendency of some depressed individuals to transform neutral or even positive experiences into negative ones. You don’t just ignore positive experi ences, you cleverly and swiftly turn them into their nightmarish opposite.

Answer 8

Disqualifying the positive

Question 9

Which cognitive distortion will cause you to discount compliments?

Answer 9

Disqualifying the positive

Question 10

Which cognitive distortion has you searching for evidence that proves your hypothesis that you’re unlovable and second rate, and discounting the evidence that you’re loved and valued?

Answer 10

Disqualifying the positive

Question 11

Which cognitive distortion will have you missing out on the good things happening to you, and the richness of life?

Answer 11

Disqualifying the positive

Question 12

You arbitrarily jump to a negative conclusion that is not justified by the facts of the situation.

Answer 12

Jumping to conclusions

Question 13

What are two examples of jumping to conclusions?

Answer 13

Mind reading and fortune telling

Question 14

A friend passes you on the street and fails to say hello because he is so absorbed in his thoughts he doesn’t notice you. You might erroneously conclude, “He is ignoring me so he must not like me anymore.”

Answer 14

Mind reading - jumping to conclusions

Question 15

You make the assumption that other people are looking down on you, and you’re so convinced about this that you don’t even bother to check it out.

Answer 15

Jumping to conclusions - mind reading

Question 16

Your spouse is in a bad mood and you think they must be mad at you

Answer 16

Jumping to conclusions - mind reading

Question 17

You imagine that something bad is about to happen, and you take this prediction as a fact even though it is unrealistic.

Answer 17

Jumping to conclusions - fortune telling

Question 18

You look at your own errors, fears, or imperfections and exaggerate their importance: “My God—I made a mistake. How terrible!

Answer 18

Magnification (catastrophising)

Question 19

Your strengths look small and unimportant

Answer 19

Minimizing

Question 20

You take your emotions as evidence of the truth

Answer 20

Emotional reasoning

Question 21

“I’m not in the mood to do anything. Therefore, I might as well just lie in bed” is which kind of cognitive distortion?

Answer 21

Emotional reasoning

Question 22

Because things feel so negative to you, you assume they truly are. It plays a role in nearly all depressions

Answer 22

Emotional reasoning

Question 23

Procrastination is a usual side effect of…

Answer 23

Emotional reasoning

Question 24

“I feel so lousy when I think about that messy desk, cleaning it will be impossible.”

Answer 24

Emotional reasoning

Question 25

These statements cause you to feel pressured and resentful. Paradoxically, you end up feeling apathetic and unmotivated.

Answer 25

Should statements

Question 26

This can cause you to feel anger and blame at another

Answer 26

Should statements

Question 27

When the reality of your own behavior falls short of your standards, this creates self-loathing, shame, and guilt.

Answer 27

Shoulds

Question 28

It is an extreme form of overgeneralization.

Answer 28

Labeling

Question 29

There is a good chance you are doing this whenever you describe your mistakes with sentences beginning with “ I’m a …”

Answer 29

Labeling

Question 30

‘I’m a failure” instead of “I made a mistake.”

Answer 30

Labeling

Question 31

Your life is a complex and ever-changing flow of thoughts, emotions, and actions that can’t be boiled down into…

Answer 31

Labeling

Question 32

This distortion is the mother of guilt!

Answer 32

Personalization

Question 33

You assume responsibility for a negative event when there is no basis for doing so. You arbitrarily conclude that what happened was your fault or reflects your inadequacy, even when you were not responsible for it.

Answer 33

Personalization

Question 34

You suffer from a paralyzing and burdensome sense of responsibility that forces you to carry the whole world on your shoulders.

Answer 34

Personalization

Question 35

This can cause you to feel anger, frustration, and resentment towards others

Answer 35

Should statements

Question 36

You inappropriately shrink things until they appear tiny (your own desirable qualities or the other fellow’s imperfections).

Answer 36

Minimization

Question 37

You make a negative interpretation even though there are no definite facts that convincingly support your interpretation.

Answer 37

Jumping to conclusions

Question 38

You pick out a single negative detail and dwell on it exclusively so that your vision of all reality becomes darkened,

Answer 38

Mental filter

Question 39

You reject positive experiences by insisting they “don’t count” for some reason

Answer 39

Disqualifying the positive

Question 40

You use these to try to motivate yourself as if you had to be whipped and punished before you could be expected to do anything.

Answer 40

Should statements