Cognitive Distortion: All or Nothing Thinking

 

All-or-Nothing Thinking: What it is and Why it’s Important to Manage It

“All or nothing thinking,” also known as “black and white thinking,” is a cognitive distortion that involves perceiving things in extreme and dichotomous terms. It is a thinking error commonly associated with various mental health challenges, including depression and anxiety. When someone engages in all or nothing thinking, they tend to see situations in absolutes, with no room for middle ground or shades of gray. They view things as either perfect or completely flawed, with no in-between. This cognitive distortion often leads to rigid and inflexible thinking patterns, which can negatively impact one’s emotions, behaviors, and overall well-being. Thinking in a binary can influence how you interpret and respond to the world. All-or-nothing thinking may become an unhelpful pattern because it doesn’t always accurately reflect our complex reality. It may also lead you to experience anxiety and pessimism.

In the context of depression, individuals with this cognitive distortion may have a tendency to see themselves or their lives as completely worthless, failures, or hopeless. They may overlook any positive aspects and focus solely on their perceived shortcomings or failures. This kind of thinking reinforces negative self-perception and can exacerbate depressive symptoms. Similarly, in the context of anxiety, all or nothing thinking can manifest as catastrophizing, where individuals perceive situations as either completely safe or extremely dangerous. They may overestimate the likelihood of negative outcomes and underestimate their ability to cope with challenges.

This cognitive distortion fuels excessive worry and anxiety, leading to increased stress and avoidance behaviors. All or nothing thinking can also contribute to a self-perpetuating cycle of negative thinking and emotional distress. When individuals continuously view situations in extreme terms, they may interpret any minor setback or imperfection as a complete failure, which reinforces negative emotions such as sadness, frustration, or anxiety. This cycle can further contribute to a sense of hopelessness and impair problem-solving skills. All-or-nothing thinking has been associated with symptoms of: anxiety, depression, substance use disorder, eating disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and personality disorders.

 

 

Examples of all-or-nothing thinking in different scenarios

All-or-nothing thinking, also known as black-and-white thinking or polarized thinking, is a cognitive distortion where individuals perceive situations in extreme, dichotomous terms, without considering any middle ground or shades of gray. Here are some examples of how people might express this cognitive distortion:

Work-related:

• “If I don’t get a promotion, I’m a complete failure in my career.”
• “If I made one mistake on this project, I’m a terrible employee.”
• “If I don’t achieve perfection in my work, it’s not worth doing at all.”

Personal achievements:

• “If I didn’t get an ‘A’ on this test, I’m a total idiot.”
• “If I can’t do something perfectly, there’s no point in doing it at all.”
• “If I didn’t win first place, I’m a complete loser.”

Success and failure:

• “If I don’t succeed at everything I do, I’m a complete failure.”
• “If I make one mistake, it invalidates all my previous accomplishments.”
• “If I don’t win, I’m a total loser and there’s no point in trying again.”
• “If I don’t always get an A in my exams, I’m a failure.”

Self-perception

When evaluating your achievements, polarized thinking can reinforce a binary of success or failure. It may lead you to give into all-or-nothing perfectionism.

Physical appearance and social comparison

Appearance, and social comparison, are other examples of how all-or-nothing thinking may affect self-perception. When a teen sees retouched images on social media, an automatic thought may be: “My body doesn’t look like this; I hate my body.” Or, “If I looked like her, I’d love my body.” Judging yourself based on the extremes of love and hate can make it hard to identify features you like about your body, There’s no middle ground of, “I like my eyes, and I’d like to change my smile.”

Other examples:

“If I gained a little weight, I’m completely unattractive.”
“If I don’t have a perfect body, no one will ever find me attractive.”
“If I have one flaw, I’m completely ugly and undesirable.”

Motivation and self-defeating behaviors

An all-or-nothing mentality may lead to avoidant behaviors. Conscious or not, it may promote making excuses to reduce effort.

• “I can’t finish everything, I won’t do anything.”
• “My alarm didn’t go off, I will cancel the meeting.”

Depression and hopelessness

People living with symptoms of depression may tend to use all-or-nothing thinking, alongside catastrophizing and overgeneralization. When we feel hopeless, we become stuck in the feeling, it’s hard to identify alternatives.

Examples of all-or-nothing thinking in this scenario may include:

• “I never feel happy; I always feel sad.”
• “Everything is terrible; nothing good ever happens.”
• “It’s always going to be like this.”

Trauma and blame

The all-or-nothing cognitive distortion may be linked to experiences of trauma, especially in childhood. These traumatic events can impact the way you organize and interpret information from your surroundings. Children sometimes blame themselves for how a traumatic experience has also affected the family. A child may see their mother is negatively impacted because of what happened, and think: “It’s my fault. If I had told someone sooner, my mom would be OK.”

Relationship conflict

All-or-nothing thinking patterns can affect interpersonal dynamics, from how you see your relationship to how you view the other person. It can also set unrealistic expectations and stunt opportunities for growth, Dyer says.

A few examples include:

• “You never ask how I’m feeling.”
• “You always raise your voice.”
• “If my partner doesn’t do everything I want, they must not really love me at all.”
• “If we have an argument, it means our relationship is completely broken.”
• “If my friend cancels plans once, they are unreliable and I can’t trust them anymore.”

All or nothing is restrictive, and limits your ability to see the exceptions that exist, if you’re anticipating it’s never going to improve, it never will. It’s important to recognize these extreme thoughts and challenge them with a more balanced and realistic perspective. All-or-nothing thinking tends to oversimplify complex situations, leading to negative emotions and a limited understanding of reality.

 

 

Overcoming All or Nothing Thinking

Involves challenging and reframing these rigid thought patterns. It requires developing a more balanced and nuanced perspective, acknowledging the gray areas, and considering multiple possibilities. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques, such as cognitive restructuring, can be helpful in identifying and modifying these cognitive distortions. Seeking support from mental health professionals can provide individuals with the necessary tools to challenge all or nothing thinking and promote healthier thinking patterns. If automatic thoughts can influence how you feel, you can learn to shift your thinking patterns by looking at your thoughts instead of through them.

You can learn to manage all-or-nothing thinking patterns by:

Mastering metacognition

Metacognition refers to intentionally noticing automatic patterns of thought. It starts with an awareness of your internal dialogue, storytelling, and cognitive processes. Try to look for thoughts containing extreme words (i.e., “always,” “never”) and mental narratives painted with a polarizing, pessimistic outlook. It may help to check if certain scenarios encourage all-or-nothing thinking, such as social or professional situations. Try to identify when it occurs (i..e., when you wake up, when you’re stressed).

Preparing for bad days

Emotional regulation is the ability to recognize emotions in yourself and others, and to express them appropriately. It may allow you to control your reactions when you face a challenging situation. One way to develop emotional regulation is to learn how to soothe yourself, so you can use those strategies when you face one of those situations that may take you to see things in black or white.

Exploring “yes, and”

Broadening binary thinking can improve cognitive flexibility. If you’re interested in learning how to stop polarized thinking, try to engage an extreme thought by exploring it with “yes, and.”

• “Yes, I faced difficult things, and I also experienced good moments this week.”
• “Yes, I’m a good person, and sometimes I make mistakes.”

Asking and reframing

Reframing techniques replace automatic thoughts with more accurate, balanced thoughts. This is an effective strategy in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT), helps people analyze and reassess negative automatic thoughts by questioning if the thought is 100% accurate or helpful. For people with trauma, the focus expands to the trauma narrative. If they can change their thought to be slightly more accurate or helpful, a more neutral thought is created. It can lead to different emotions and behavior in the moment, and the development of a different meaning.

 

 

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Skills Training

Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) offers various skills and techniques to challenge the cognitive distortion of all-or-nothing thinking. Here are some examples:

1. Identify and Label the Thought:

Pay attention to your thoughts and identify when you’re engaging in all-or-nothing thinking. Label the thought as a cognitive distortion, such as “I’m falling into the all-or-nothing trap again.”

2. Look for Shades of Gray:

Remind yourself that most situations are rarely completely black or white. Look for evidence of shades of gray or middle ground in the situation. Challenge yourself to find exceptions to the extreme thinking.

3. Use Alternative Statements:

Replace extreme statements with more balanced and realistic ones. For example, replace “I’m a total failure” with “I’ve had successes in the past, and this setback doesn’t define me.”

4. Gather Evidence:

Collect evidence that contradicts the all-or-nothing thinking. Look for examples of times when things weren’t as extreme as you initially perceived. Consider alternative explanations and possibilities.

5. Evaluate the Consequences:

Reflect on the negative impact of all-or-nothing thinking on your emotions and behavior. Consider how adopting a more flexible and balanced mindset can lead to better outcomes.

6. Use a Probability Scale:

Rate the likelihood of extreme outcomes on a scale from 0 to 100%. Acknowledge that most events fall somewhere in between the extremes.

7. Practice Mindfulness:

Observe your thoughts and emotions without judgment. Notice when all-or-nothing thinking arises and let it pass without getting caught up in it.

8. Behavioral Experiments:

Test the validity of your all-or-nothing thoughts through behavioral experiments. Engage in activities that challenge the extremes and gather real-world evidence.

9. Seek Different Perspectives:

Talk to trusted friends, family members, or a therapist about your thoughts and get their perspective. Consider alternative viewpoints that can help broaden your thinking.

Remember, challenging all-or-nothing thinking takes practice and consistency. With time, you can develop a more balanced and realistic mindset that enhances your well-being and reduces the negative impact of cognitive distortions.

 

 

Reaching out for professional support

It’s important to note that while all or nothing thinking is a common cognitive distortion associated with depression and anxiety, it does not exclusively indicate the presence of a mental health disorder. Many people without mental health challenges may also exhibit this type of thinking at times. However, when it becomes pervasive and significantly impairs one’s functioning and well-being, it is essential to seek appropriate professional help. Finding a therapist can provide you with a safe space to express how you feel and work on cognitive distortions and negative thinking.

 

 

Sources

Bonfá-Araujo B, et al. (2021). Seeing Things in Black-and-White: A Scoping Review on Dichotomous Thinking Style.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jpr.12328

Dyer P. (2022). Personal interview.
Fazakas-DeHoog L, et al. (2017). A Cognitive Distortions and Deficits Model of Suicide Ideation.
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5450979/

Lorzangeneh S, et al. (2022). The role of early maladaptive schema domains and childhood trauma in predicting cognitive distortions.
journal.uma.ac.ir/article_1493_70e94856ed53f74ba1ee08419b963c54.pdf

Mercan N, et al. (2021). Investigation of the relatedness of cognitive distortions with emotional expression, anxiety, and depression.
link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12144-021-02251-z

Özgüç S, et al. (2021). Effect of metacognitive training applied on depression and cognitive distortion levels of depression patients.
link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12144-021-02202-8