Who are you? Are you the things that you own? Are you your physical traits? Or are you something else, something more fundamental, if harder to describe? And if you aren’t just a list of your possessions or your physical traits, what does that mean for how these things fit into a good life? In…
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is psychotherapeutic method for treating anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues. A key component of CBT is the identifying and changing of cognitive distortions, or errors of thought, which interact with associated behaviors to negatively influence emotional states. It is rather well-known that there is some precedent for CBT in the…
What would you give to hear perhaps the world’s greatest philosopher share his personal recipe for the good life? This is exactly what we get in Plato’s The Philebus, one of his final works and his ultimate say on the question of how an individual can live a good life. This dialogue, unfortunately, has a reputation…
Cognitive distortions are errors of thought and/or belief that create false perceptions of reality and by doing so create emotional distress. Cognitive distortions can be contributing factors to anxiety, depression, and other mental health disorders. Identifying and reducing cognitive distortions is a core component of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), which is one of the most well-regarded…
Should statements are cognitive distortions, or faulty thought patterns, in which a person creates rigid expectations that in turn lead to unnecessary distress (Burns, 1981, 40–41; Beck, 2021, 253). Should statements become so ingrained in our thought habits that we don’t even realize we are making these errors, even when we are on the lookout…
Worst-case scenario thinking, also known as catastrophizing, is a cognitive distortion or faulty thought pattern, in which a person greatly exaggerates the likelihood that something unusually bad will occur (Burns, 1981, 40–41; Beck, 2021, 253). Worst-case scenario thinking is one of the more common cognitive distortions, particularly for those with anxiety or depressive disorders. In…