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…
Gratitude is the feeling appreciation for someone or something. When we develop an attitude of gratitude, we take the time to recognizing the good in the world that exists outside of ourselves. Doing so attunes us to these good things that so often pass by us unnoticed. This article contains four gratitude exercises that are…
Pity is the feeling of sorrow for another person’s suffering or hardship. The word has its origin the Latin word pietas, which can be understood to mean a devotion — to a religious figure, to others, or to goodness. Pity was central to ancient Greek thought: it can be seen as the true theme of…
Emotional reasoning is a cognitive distortion, or faulty pattern of thought, in which a person believes that his or her own emotional experience in response to a thought is evidence for the truthfulness of that thought (Burns, 1981, 40–41; Beck, 2021, 253). In a nutshell, emotional reasoning occurs when we think the following: I feel it’s true,…
All or nothing thinking (also known as black and white thinking)is a cognitive distortion that causes a person to see something as all good or all bad, with no in-between (Burns, 1981, 40–41; Beck, 2021, 253). This is one of the most common cognitive distortions, and also one of the most damaging. Examples of all…
Sir John Falstaff — he’s Shakespeare’s low-living, gluttonous, perpetually indebted senior citizen, who steals for a living, meets all outward criteria of alcohol dependency, and is called a coward by his closest friends the first time we meet him. This charge is only amplified when, a little later, he plays dead in battle and then…