Overgeneralized thinking a downward spiral

The misery she experienced touched most every corner of her life.

• At work, she feared making decisions – convinced that NO ONE believed she was capable or proficient in anything.

• In social situations she felt that ALL of her friends and acquaintances considered her to be a dumb blonde.

• In her night classes, designed to further her education and career, she was convinced that EVERY test and assignment was going to be more than she could handle.

• She continued to stay in a very physically and psychologically abusive relationship with her husband because of what THEY (in this case, ALL other people) would think about her if she filed for a divorce.

• She neglected her physical appearance – appearing much older than her chronological age – because she was convinced that NO ONE cared about her health and appearance.

• She often rejected the love and affection of her children because she felt that they NEVER really cared about her and had ulterior motives for EVERYTHING they did which might have seemed positive.

• She felt that she was ALWAYS going to be unhappy because she had an unhappy childhood.

This hypothetical individual’s depression and poor self esteem resulted in part from her tendency toward overgeneralized thinking. NO ONE, ALL, EVERYTHING, NEVER, ALWAYS, EVERYONE, are examples of cognitive distortions. These thinking styles separate the individual from reality – failing to acknowledge the gradations in life. Healthy thinkers recognize the many possibilities that exist between always and never, everyone and no one, all and none, everything and nothing, etc. Those who think in “either – or” base their perceptions on emotional rather than rational processes. They use absolutes to close the doors of possibility. Life becomes more and more confining as the magnitude of overgeneralized thinking increases. Those who overgeneralize take one instance, experience, occurrence, etc. and make it a rule. One mistake or less than completely satisfactory performance means, to the overgeneralizer, they must be complete failures. One unsuccessful date for a young man who overgeneralizes means that any and all women will reject his invitations in the future because, if the date was unsuccessful, it must mean he is unattractive and socially unadroit.

Changing overgeneralized thinking patterns requires challenging and refuting the beliefs and assumptions that underlie the absolutes. For example, how realistic is it to assume that everyone is going to like you? Or, that no one will want to date you because one person declined your invitation? Is it realistic to believe that one should win every golf tournament they enter and, when they inevitably come in second or beyond, does this then make them a poor golfer and failure?

A distinct type of psychological therapy is based upon helping individuals who suffer from cognitive distortions improve their mental health. Although the positive changes do not occur overnight, positive gains often occur in a relatively brief period of time.

Harold H. LeCrone, Jr., Ph.D. Copyright 2000