Discuss in DETAIL six Cognitive distortions - Essay Example

Six Cognitive Distortions Six Cognitive Distortions The term cognitive distortion is used to refer to the irrational pattern of thinking that is believed to be causing a particular issue. Different kinds of cognitive distortions include overgeneralization that occurs when an individual makes conclusions regarding his/her states only on a few incidences. For example: an individual failing to hit the break at the correct times in a few incidences makes him/her think that they are not a good driver.

Another distortion is labeling or mislabeling which takes place when an individual thinks negatively about himself due to a few errors he/she has made (Sharf, 2012, p.377). Due to such a perception, an individual may end up having a self perception that may be distorted or completely untrue. A third distortion is magnification or minimization which occurs when an individual ignores the positive and over thinks about the negatives or ignores the negative and only thinks about the positives in himself or herself.

Personalization is a fourth kind of distortion occurs when an individual connects an unrelated event to his/her state and believes that it is connected to him/her. For example: an individual may believe that the death of a loved one was caused by them. The fifth kind of cognitive distortion is All-or-nothing thinking which takes place when an individual is of the idea that events should happen as he/she may want it to be or they have completely failed. Selective abstractions take place when an individual chooses a certain part of an event to prove that he she was experiencing depression at that moment.

ReferencesSharf, R. (2012). Theories of psychotherapy and counseling (1st ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.