Cognitive Distortions: All or Nothing Thinking

Cognitive distortions are viewed as patterns of thought that reinforce a person’s negative thoughts or emotions. These distortions can interfere with how someone perceives a conversation, event or relationship. The idea is that the way a person feels affects how they think and if someone’s thinking is distorted, it can feed a negative outlook further increasing depressive and anxious symptoms.

All or nothing thinking is one of the 10 cognitive distortions as identified by psychiatrist Aaron Beck and David Burns, (n.d). All or nothing thinking is one of the distortions that I see quite often in working with clients who are struggling with depressive and anxious symptoms. Often referred to as black and white thinking, this distortion can led us to think in extremes leaving no room for gray.  People who are struggling with all or nothing thinking often feel like they are either right or wrong, smart or dumb, succeeding in life or failing, there is no in between leaving people to feel like they are on an emotional roller coaster.   All or nothing thinking can lead people to believe they need to do it all and if they can’t do it all, they do nothing instead.

This way of thinking also effects our ability to participate in healthy relationships as some people who engage in all or nothing thinking treat their relationships as black and white. For instance, if a friend upsets you, instead of working through it, you cut them out of your life because they too are either good or bad.

Understanding that life is not lived in absolutes and that as a whole person we are all good and bad, we succeed and fail and we are both right and wrong can help to challenge all or nothing thinking and allow us to live a life that is more balanced.

Written by Marie Thompson, MA

References

10 Forms of Cognitive Distortions (Faulty Thinking). (n.d.). Retrieved October 20, 2016, from https://www.habitsforwellbeing.com/10-forms-of-cognitive-distortions-faulty-thinking/

Image Source: unsplash.com