COGNITIVE DISTORTION #3
#3. Mental Filter
Cognitive distortions. Different types of thoughts we have that can send us spiralling down into depression. I gave you the first one “All-or-nothing thinking” in issue #15 June 29. The second one “Overgeneralization” was in issue #22 July 6.
This distortion, “Mental filter” is when we focus on one negative detail about something and dwell on it exclusively. For example, a student realizes that she missed about 17 questions out of 100 on a test and focuses solely on those questions she missed. She even takes it to the point that she believes she will flunk out of the course. However, when she gets her test back she gets 83 questions right, gets 83% and finds out it’s the highest mark in the class. It’s the proverbial “glass half empty or glass half full” idea. She focused on the ones she missed, the negative, rather than all of the ones she got. From the focus on the negative she jumped to the conclusion that made everything negative and consequently suffered much anguish over her course.
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