Beck's Cognitive Therapy

Cognitive therapy, developed by Aaron T. Beck, addresses distorted thinking and unrealistic beliefs, particularly in depression.

Some of the common thought distortions are discussed here.

Arbitrary inference involves jumping to conclusions without evidence. For example, assuming a friend canceled lunch because they are upset, despite having no proof.

Selective thinking focuses on one part of a situation while ignoring other relevant details. For instance, a person might believe their work is terrible after a minor critique, disregarding praise for their overall effort.

Overgeneralization draws broad conclusions from a single event. For example, someone scolded at work might believe all their relationships will fail and that they'll end up alone.

Magnification and minimization distort events by exaggerating the bad and downplaying the good. For instance, a student with consistently high grades might believe a single low score means failure in their studies.

Personalization occurs when someone blames themselves for unrelated events. For example, a person might assume a partner's bad mood is directed at them rather than caused by external stress.