Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a type of talk therapy that focuses on how thoughts and emotions affect behavior.Research has shown that CBT can be useful for children as young as 7 if the concepts are explained in a simple and related manner. Below are simple explanations of common thinking errors that are associated with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
Just because you think something does not mean it is true. Your thoughts are guesses about why something happened or about something that might happen. There are many reasons why things happen, the following are thinking errors we may believe that lead us to feel unhappy.
1. Black and White Thinking. You think in extremes.
Examples:
“She is either a good friend or a bad friend.”
“It is either a good day or a bad one.”
2. Blowing Things Up. Making a really big deal out of something small or making something a little bit bad seem like the worst thing ever.
Examples:
You get a stain on your new shoes and you think they’re ruined and cannot be worn again.
“I’m not allowed to see my friends on Friday. My life is horrible!”
3. Ignoring the Good. You pay more attention to the bad things and ignore when something good happens.
Examples:
You get 1 wrong answer on a long test and all you can think about is the mistake.
You score two goals in your soccer game but all you can think about is the shot you missed.
4. Fortune Telling. Thinking you know what will happen in the future and that it will be bad without all of the information.
Examples:
“I know if I ask her to the dance she is going to say no.”
“I bet no one will come to my birthday party.”
5. Setting the Bar Too High. Thinking that you must be perfect in everything you do, otherwise you are no good.
Examples:
“If I do not get an A on every test I am not smart.”
“I have to win every tennis match I play, otherwise I am a bad player.”
6. Should Statements. Believing things have to be a certain way. Examples:
“People should always be nice to me.”
“I should always be happy. I should never feel sad.”
7. Self-Blaming. Blaming yourself for anything that goes wrong around you, even if you had nothing to do with it.
Examples:
When your basketball team loses a game, you think it is entirely your fault.
“My dad is sad today. I probably did something to upset him.”
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