Cognitive Distortion: Emotional Reasoning

 

ALL OR NOTHING | OVERGENERALIZATION | MENTAL FILTERING | DISQUALIFYING THE POSITIVE

MINIMIZING | CATASTROPHIZING | EMOTIONAL REASONING | SHOULD STATEMENTS | LABELING

BLAMING | FALLACY OF CHANGE | EXTERNAL LOCUS OF CONTROL | INTERNAL LOCUS OF CONTROL | SELECTIVE ATTENTION

UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS | PERSONALIZATION | MIND READING | FORTUNE TELLING

 

 

What it is and Why it’s Important to Manage It

“Emotional reasoning” is another cognitive distortion that can contribute to negative thinking patterns and is often associated with depression, anxiety, and other mental health challenges. It involves using one’s emotions as evidence or proof of reality, assuming that feelings accurately reflect the truth about a situation, despite the absence of supporting evidence. Individuals who engage in emotional reasoning tend to base their beliefs and decisions on how they feel rather than on objective facts or logical reasoning.

For example, if someone feels anxious about an upcoming event, they may conclude that something terrible will happen, regardless of any evidence to the contrary. Similarly, if a person feels sad or unworthy, they may assume that they are inherently flawed or that nothing will ever improve for them. Emotional reasoning can significantly impact the way individuals interpret and respond to various situations. It can intensify negative emotions and perpetuate self-defeating beliefs. When someone continually relies on their emotions to guide their thoughts and actions, they may find it challenging to challenge or question their negative thinking patterns.

In the context of depression, emotional reasoning often manifests as a distorted belief that one’s negative emotions are an accurate reflection of reality. Individuals experiencing depression may feel overwhelmed by sadness, hopelessness, or worthlessness, leading them to conclude that their lives are inherently miserable and devoid of any joy or purpose. This distortion can deepen the cycle of depression, making it difficult for individuals to engage in activities that may help improve their mood or seek support from others. Similarly, emotional reasoning can be prevalent in anxiety disorders. Individuals may perceive intense anxiety as a sign that a threat is imminent, regardless of the actual level of risk. They might assume that their anxious feelings are a reliable indication of danger, leading to avoidance behaviors and further reinforcing their anxiety symptoms.

Recognizing and challenging emotional reasoning is a crucial aspect of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and other therapeutic approaches used in the treatment of depression, anxiety, and related mental health challenges. Therapists help individuals evaluate the evidence for and against their emotional reasoning by encouraging them to seek alternative perspectives and consider objective facts. By separating their emotions from the actual reality of a situation, individuals can gain a more balanced and realistic understanding, leading to a reduction in negative emotions and an increase in adaptive coping strategies. In addition to therapy, individuals can practice self-care strategies to address emotional reasoning. This may involve journaling to identify and challenge automatic thoughts, engaging in mindfulness techniques to observe emotions without immediately accepting them as truth, and seeking social support from trusted individuals who can provide a more objective perspective.

Title: Managing Emotional Reasoning: Unraveling Cognitive Distortions for Improved Mental Well-being

Introduction:
In the realm of mental health, cognitive distortions play a significant role in shaping our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Emotional reasoning, a common cognitive distortion, can have a profound impact on our well-being. This blog post aims to shed light on emotional reasoning, its implications, and effective strategies to manage it in everyday life. We will explore examples of emotional reasoning, discuss the negative consequences, and delve into cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) techniques that can assist in combating this distortion.

What is Emotional Reasoning?
Emotional reasoning is a cognitive distortion where an individual’s emotions dictate their beliefs about reality, despite the absence of supporting evidence. Essentially, people engage in emotional reasoning when they assume that their feelings accurately reflect the truth, leading them to interpret situations based solely on their emotional state.

Examples of Emotional Reasoning:
1. Assuming “I feel anxious; therefore, something terrible is about to happen.”
2. Believing “I’m feeling sad; hence, I must be a failure.”
3. Thinking “I’m angry with my friend; therefore, they must not care about me.”

The Negative Consequences of Emotional Reasoning:
Engaging in emotional reasoning can lead to a host of negative consequences, including:
1. Distorted perceptions of reality: Emotional reasoning can cloud our judgment, leading us to misinterpret situations and perceive them more negatively than they actually are.
2. Heightened anxiety and depression: Relying solely on emotions as evidence can exacerbate anxiety and depression, intensifying emotional distress.
3. Strained relationships: Emotional reasoning can create misunderstandings, as our interpretations are based on flawed emotional perceptions rather than objective reality. This can strain personal and professional relationships.

Methods to Manage Emotional Reasoning:
1. Recognize and challenge distorted thoughts: Begin by acknowledging when emotional reasoning is at play and challenge the underlying assumptions. Evaluate the evidence objectively and consider alternative explanations.
2. Practice self-reflection: Cultivate self-awareness by monitoring your emotions and thoughts. Take note of any patterns or recurring themes that may indicate emotional reasoning.
3. Test reality: Seek out evidence that supports or refutes your emotional assumptions. Consult trusted friends, family, or professionals to gain an outside perspective on the situation.
4. Engage in cognitive restructuring: Replace distorted thoughts with more realistic and balanced alternatives. Focus on evidence-based reasoning rather than relying solely on emotions.
5. Utilize relaxation techniques: Engaging in relaxation exercises, such as deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, or mindfulness meditation, can help manage emotional arousal and promote clarity of thought.

CBT and DBT Skills to Manage Emotional Reasoning:
1. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): CBT techniques provide a structured approach to identifying and challenging cognitive distortions. By working with a therapist, individuals can develop skills to reframe emotional reasoning and replace it with rational thinking.
2. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): DBT emphasizes the concept of “wise mind,” which combines rational thinking (logical mind) with emotions (emotional mind). Practicing mindfulness and wise mind skills can help individuals navigate emotional reasoning by finding a balance between emotions and rationality.

Seeking Professional Help:
If emotional reasoning becomes persistent or significantly interferes with daily functioning, seeking professional help is highly recommended. A mental health counselor or therapist can provide guidance and support tailored to your specific needs.

Finding a qualified mental health professional:
1. Seek referrals from trusted sources: Ask your primary care physician, friends, or family members for recommendations.
2. Utilize online directories: Websites like Psychology Today, GoodTherapy, and the American Psychological Association’s Psychologist Locator can help you find licensed professionals in your

area.
3. Verify credentials and specialties: Research potential therapists, ensuring they have the appropriate credentials and experience in treating emotional reasoning or related concerns.

Conclusion:
Emotional reasoning can hinder our ability to think critically and perceive reality accurately. By recognizing this cognitive distortion and employing strategies from CBT and DBT, we can challenge our emotional reasoning, leading to improved mental well-being. Remember, seeking professional help when needed is a proactive step towards finding support and guidance on this journey.

Emotional reasoning

“Feelings are not conclusions, but rather are experiences that provide information” 

Elliott et al., 2004, p.25

Emotions are important. They give us valuable information:

  • Happiness tells us that something is rewarding.
  • Fear signals that there is a threat to our safety.
  • Sadness communicates that something significant has been lost.
  • Anger tells us that there has been a violation. 
  • Disgust signals that something is potentially toxic. 

They also direct the focus of our attention (e.g., Lench et al., 2016). For instance:

  • Happiness directions our attention towards sources of pleasure.
  • Fear directs our attention towards potential dangers. 
  • Sadness directs our attention towards losses, or the cause of losses. 
  • Anger directs our attention towards blameworthy targets. 
  • Disgust directs our attention towards potential contaminants. 

Finally, emotions turn “a thinking being into an actor” (Frijda et al., 2000, p.3), motivating us to take action to meet our needs (Nesse & Ellsworth, 2009). For example:

  • Happiness motivates us to repeat what we are doing.
  • Fear prompts us to seek safety.
  • Sadness encourages us to seek support or desist from tasks. 
  • Anger motivates attack or defense.
  • Disgust motivates avoidance and expulsion.

For these reasons, emotions are not only essential to survival, but also signal “what is important, and knowing what is important tells [people] what they need to do and who they are” (Elliott et al., 2004, p.24). 

Unfortunately, our emotional reactions can also be problematic. ‘Emotional reasoning’ (also referred to as ‘ex-consequentia reasoning’ and ‘feeling-driven thinking’) is a cognitive distortion associated with selective abstraction (Drapeau et al., 2008): “forming an interpretation… when there is no factual evidence to support the conclusion, or when the conclusion is contrary to the evidence” (Beck, 1963). Specifically, it is an arbitrary interpretation in which individuals make predictions or draw conclusions based on their feelings, intuitions, and hunches (Tolin, 2016).  

Emotional reasoning can be misleading because our emotional responses are influenced by cognitions which may differ from reality (Burns, 2020). Accordingly, individuals who engage in emotional reasoning are often inclined to interpretations which are “emotionally appealing rather than logically derived” (Williams et al., 2022, p.276).  

Burns (2020) suggests that emotional reasoning can be positive or negative in form:

  • Positive emotional reasoning involves basing your judgments and conclusions on positive emotions (e.g., telling yourself that you will win a bet because you feel lucky), which can lead to unnecessary risk-taking.  
  • Negative emotional reasoning involves basing your judgments and conclusions on negative emotions (e.g., telling yourself that you are worthless because you feel worthless), which can lead to withdrawal and unnecessary avoidance.

Emotional reasoning is especially pernicious in psychological disorders due to the distress accompanying these difficulties. For example, individuals who struggle with anxiety are likely to believe this emotion signals danger (e.g., “I feel anxious, so something bad is going to happen”). On the other hand, individuals with depression are likely to view their low mood as affirmative (e.g., “I feel depressed, so my life must be pointless”).

Other difficulties with which emotional reasoning is associated with include:

  • Bipolar affective disorder (Kramer et al., 2009)
  • Delusional beliefs (Williams et al., 2022)
  • Panic disorder (Arntz et al., 1995)
  • Phobias (Arntz et al., 1995)
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder (Najavits et al., 2004)
  • Social anxiety (Kuru et al., 2018)

Several factors account for why emotions exert such a powerful influence on the inferences people draw:

  • Feelings are believable. Because emotions are experienced directly and from within, they seem valid and important (Clore & Gasper, 2000). 
  • Feelings make interpretations seem credible. Emotions enhance “the credibility of information and inferences, and the estimated likelihood that information is true, via affective biases in thinking and by modulating the range of implications that is followed up in thought” (Frijda & Mesquita, 2000). 
  • Feelings influence attention. When people feel anxious, threatening stimuli are selectively attended to, thus confirming their danger-related appraisals. 
  • Reality testing can prove difficult. Arntz and colleagues (1995) hypothesize that individuals with anxiety disorders have underdeveloped reality-testing strategies. As a result, they are likely to respond to anxiety with flight rather than checking whether it is a false alarm. 
     

Examples of emotional reasoning include:

  • Inferring danger from anxiety (e.g., “I feel afraid, so there must be danger present”).
  • Inferring ineffectiveness from hopelessness (e.g., “I feel hopeless, so the situation must be hopeless”).
  • Inferring acceptability from pleasure and satisfaction (e.g., “It feels good, so it must be OK to do”).
  • Basing decision-making on ‘gut’ (i.e., emotional) reactions (e.g., “This feels like the right loan to take out”). 

People who often use emotional reasoning may have ‘blind spots’ when it comes to:

  • Reality-checking emotional responses.
  • Disengaging from emotional reactions.
  • Considering alternative explanations and outcomes.
  • Deliberative decision-making. 
  • Acting intentionally rather than instinctively.

As with many cognitive biases, there may be evolutionary reasons why people use emotional reasoning. Gilbert (1998) suggests that humans have long relied on rapid, ‘fast-track’ affects to make urgent decisions when under threat. Accordingly, “when we explore emotional reasoning with patients, we can recognize that they are encountering the urgencies of our more primitive brains and thus the enormous struggle they sometimes have to bring these dictates under rational control” (Gilbert, 1998, p.454). 

Instructions

Many people struggle with emotional reasoning, and it sounds as though it might also be relevant to you. Would you be willing to explore it with me?

Clinicians might begin by providing psychoeducation about emotional reasoning and automatic thoughts more generally. Consider sharing some of these important details:

  • Automatic thoughts spring up spontaneously in our minds, usually in the form of words or images.
  • They are often on the ‘sidelines’ of our awareness. With practice, we can become more aware of them. It is a bit like a theatre – we can bring our automatic thoughts ‘centre stage’.  
  • Automatic thoughts are not always accurate: just because you think something, doesn’t make it true.
  • Automatic thoughts are often inaccurate in characteristic ways. One common type of bias in automatic thoughts is ‘emotional reasoning’: we sometimes interpret situations based on how we feel. This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t pay attention to our emotions: it’s most helpful to base your conclusions on your feelings alongside other sources of information.
  • Signs that you are using emotional reasoning include being guided by your emotions rather than thoughts or facts (“I feel anxious, so I must be danger.”), or making decisions based on how you feel (“Everything feels hopeless, so there’s no point in going out.”).   
  • In some circumstances, it is helpful to use emotional reasoning. Emotions highlight what is important and prompt us to act quickly. However, there are times when we need to think about things in a slower, more deliberate way. 

Many treatment techniques can be used to address emotional reasoning:

  • Decentering. Meta-cognitive awareness, or decentering, describes the ability to stand back and view a thought as a cognitive event: as an opinion, and not necessarily a fact (Flavell, 1979). Help clients to practice labeling the process present in the thinking rather than engaging with the content. For instance, they might say to themselves, “I’m thinking with my feelings”, whenever they notice these thoughts.
  • Cognitive restructuring with thought records. Self-monitoring can be used to capture and re-evaluate emotional reasoning as it occurs. Useful prompts include:
    • “If you took the ‘emotional reasoning’ glasses off, how would you see this differently?”
    • “How would you see this situation if you were feeling calmer or more hopeful?”
    • “What evidence supports and does not support the judgement you are making?”
    • “Are you basing your conclusions on feelings or facts? Facts are things you can see and hear, whereas feelings are your internal responses to a situation”.  
    • “How would someone who was feeling calm and confident see this situation? Does that judgment apply to you too?”
    • “Now that you’ve heard what your heart has to say about this decision, let’s listen to your head. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this course of action?”
    • “What would you say to a friend who relied on their emotions to judge things? Do you think it’s always a wise thing to do?”
  • Cost-benefits analysis. Explore the advantages and disadvantages of emotional reasoning. What problems has it caused, and how would things change if the client relied more on the facts? Some clients may believe that emotional reasoning is important and functional (e.g., “My instincts keep me safe”).  
  • Retrospective mismatch. Ask the client to recall an episode of emotional reasoning and contrast this with how events unfolded. Were the client’s feeling-driven thoughts accurate? Highlighting the mismatch between emotional reasoning and reality can challenge its perceived accuracy and usefulness (Wells, 1997).
  • Shifting emotional state. Help the client shift into a calmer emotional state (e.g., using a breathing exercise or guided imagery) or allow the feeling to pass. Once their distress has subsided, revisit the interpretations or conclusions they made while emotionally reasoning. Has there been a change in their thinking?
  • Reality-testing. Reality-testing can help individuals see situations through an objective, rather than emotional, lens. Help the client ground themselves in the present moment and compare their feeling-driven thoughts with observable reality. For instance, if the client feels anxious, can they see or hear any clear signs of danger? 
  • Opposite action. Emotional reasoning prompts individuals to act on their emotional responses. When these emotions are distressing, action often takes the form of avoidance (e.g., moving away from perceived threats). Opposite action (Linehan, 1993) entails changing the source of emotional reasoning (i.e., distressing emotions) by engaging in contrary behaviors. For example, anxiety is alleviated by approaching (rather than avoiding) feared stimuli. By engaging in opposite response patterns, the initial affective response is weakened.     
  • “Just because you feel it…”. Instruct the client to repeat or sing the (somewhat catchy!) phrase, “Just because you feel it, it doesn’t mean it’s true”, whenever they engage in emotional reasoning.   
  • Testing beliefs and assumptions. It can be helpful to explore whether the client holds beliefs or assumptions which drive emotional reasoning, such as, “My feelings are an accurate reflection of reality”, and “I should always trust my instincts”. If assumptions like these are identified, clients can assess how accurate and helpful they are. Their attitudes towards healthier assumptions can be explored, such as, “Feelings are just one source of information and guidance”, and “Gut reactions are not always accurate”. Assumptions can also be tested using behavioral experiments, including surveys.

References

  • Arntz, A., Rauner, M., & Van den Hout, M. (1995). “If I feel anxious, there must be danger”: Ex-consequentia reasoning in inferring danger in anxiety disorders. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 33, 917-925. DOI: 10.1016/0005-7967(95)00032-S.
  • Beck, A. T. (1963). Thinking and depression: I. Idiosyncratic content and cognitive distortions. Archives of General Psychiatry, 9, 324-333. DOI: 10.1001/archpsyc.1963.01720160014002.
  • Beck, A. T., Rush, A. J., Shaw, B. F., & Emery, G. (1979). Cognitive therapy of depression. Guilford Press.
  • Beck, J. S. (1995). Cognitive therapy: Basics and beyond. Guilford Press.
  • Berle, D., & Moulds, M. L. (2013). Emotional reasoning processes and dysphoric mood: cross-sectional and prospective relationships. PloS One, 8, e67359. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0067359.
  • Burns, D. D. (2020). Feeling great: The revolutionary new treatment for depression and anxiety. PESI Publishing.
  • Clore, G. L., & Gasper, K. (2000). Feeling is believing: Some affective influences on belief. In N. H. Frijda, A. S. R. Manstead, & S. Bem (Eds.), Emotions and beliefs: How feelings influence thoughts (pp. 10-44). Cambridge University Press. 
  • Drapeau, M., Perry, J. C., & Dunkley, D. (2008). The cognitive error rating system manual (3rd ed.). McGill University. Unpublished manual.
  • Elliott, R., Watson, J. C., Goldman, R. N., & Greenberg, L. S. (2004). Learning emotion-focused therapy: The process-experiential approach to change. American Psychological Association. 
  • Frijda, N. H., & Mesquita, B. (2000). Beliefs through emotions. In N. H. Frijda, A. S. R. Manstead, & S. Bem (Eds.), Emotions and beliefs: How feelings influence thoughts (pp. 45-77). Cambridge University Press.
  • Frijda, N. H., Manstead, A. S. R., & Bem, S. (2000). The influence of emotions on beliefs. In N. H. Frijda, A. S. R. Manstead, & S. Bem (Eds.), Emotions and beliefs: How feelings influence thoughts (pp. 10-44). Cambridge University Press. 
  • Flavell, J. H. (1979). Metacognition and cognitive monitoring: A new area of cognitive–developmental inquiry. American Psychologist, 34, 906. DOI: 10.1037/0003-066X.34.10.906.
  • Gilbert, P. (1998). The evolved basis and adaptive functions of cognitive distortions. British Journal of Medical Psychology, 71, 447-463. DOI: 10.1111/j.2044-8341.1998.tb01002.x.
  • Kramer, U., Bodenmann, G., & Drapeau, M. (2009). Cognitive errors assessed by observer ratings in bipolar affective disorder: relationship with symptoms and therapeutic alliance. The Cognitive Behaviour Therapist, 2, 92-105. DOI: 10.1017/S1754470X09990043.
  • Kuru, E., Safak, Y., Özdemir, İ., Tulacı, R. G., Özdel, K., Özkula, N. G., & Örsel, S. (2018). Cognitive distortions in patients with social anxiety disorder: Comparison of a clinical group and healthy controls. The European Journal of Psychiatry, 32, 97-104. DOI: 10.1016/j.ejpsy.2017.08.004.
  • Lench, H. C., Tibbett, T. P., & Bench, S. W. (2016). Exploring the toolkit of emotion: What do sadness and anger do for us? Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 10, 11-25. DOI: 10.1111/spc3.12229.
  • Linehan, M. M. (1993). Skills training manual for treating borderline personality disorder. Guilford Press.
  • Morren, M., Muris, P., & Kindt, M. (2004). Emotional reasoning and parent-based reasoning in normal children. Child Psychiatry and Human Development, 35, 3-20. DOI: 10.1023/B:CHUD.0000039317.50547.e3.
  • Najavits, L. M., Gotthardt, S., Weiss, R. D., & Epstein, M. (2004). Cognitive distortions in the dual diagnosis of PTSD and substance use disorder. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 28, 159-172. DOI: 10.1023/B:COTR.0000021537.18501.66.
  • Nesse, R. M., & Ellsworth, P. C. (2009). Evolution, emotions, and emotional disorders. American Psychologist, 64, 129-139. DOI: 10.1037/a0013503. 
  • Noël, V. A., Francis, S. E., Williams-Outerbridge, K., & Fung, S. L. (2012). Catastrophizing as a predictor of depressive and anxious symptoms in children. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 36, 311-320. DOI: 10.1007/s10608-011-9370-2.
  • Shafran, R., Thordarson, D. S., & Rachman, S. (1996). Thought-action fusion in obsessive compulsive disorder. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 10, 379-391. DOI: 10.1016/0887-6185(96)00018-7.
  • Tolin, D. F. (2016). Doing CBT: A comprehensive guide to working with behaviors, thoughts, and emotions. Guilford Press.
  • Veen, G., & Arntz, A. (2000). Multidimensional dichotomous thinking characterizes borderline personality disorder. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 24, 23-45. DOI: 10.1023/A:1005498824175.
  • Wells, A. (1997). Cognitive therapy of anxiety disorders: A practice manual and conceptual guide. John Wiley and Sons. 
  • Williams, C., Denovan, A., Drinkwater, K., & Dagnall, N. (2022). Thinking style and paranormal belief: the role of cognitive biases. Imagination, Cognition and Personality, 41, 274-298. DOI: 10.1177/02762366211036435.
  • Westbrook, D., Kennerley, H., & Kirk, J. (2011). An introduction to cognitive behaviour therapy: Skills and applications (2nd ed.). Sage.

Sources:
– Beck, J. S. (2011). Cognitive behavior therapy: Basics and beyond (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.
– Linehan, M. M. (2015). DBT skills training manual (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.
– Burns, D. D. (1989). The feeling good handbook. Penguin.
– American Psychological Association. (2021). Finding help: How to choose a psychologist. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/topics/choose-therapist

 

 

Examples in different scenarios

Concluding that because you feel fat you must be fat even though you have a healthy BMI and know this.

Deciding that because you feel lonely you deduce that no one must love you and that you are unlovable.        

You had a close call on your drive home and felt a spike in your heart rate and blood pressure.  Because of this close call, you conclude that your usual route home is no longer safe and refuse to drive it again. 

 

 

Consequences of Emotional Reasoning

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While it is important to listen and validate your emotional experience, it’s equally important to include rational evidence.  Emotional reasoning dismisses the facts and holds onto the emotional response as “concrete evidence” of the assumed truth.   

Emotional reasoning almost always plays a big role in anxiety, depression, and procrastination.  For example, if you feel anxious, then you may conclude that you must be in danger.  If you feel depressed, then you may conclude that your life is passing you by.  If you feel overwhelmed, you may decide that the task at hand is too big and you can’t do it.  Emotional reasoning can impact your confidence, self-esteem, and self-worth even if you know that there is no logical evidence to support your feelings.

 

 

Managing the distortion

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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Skills Training

Controversies

Cognitive behavioral therapy is usually seen as the solution for cognitive distortions. However, some people argue that cognitive behavioral therapy is treating the effect rather than the cause. It does not consider why or how individuals fell victim to the distortions affecting their perception of reality, but instead tries to change them for the future.13

Cognitive behavioral therapy also focuses solely on the individual and places the responsibility of overcoming their mental health struggles on them. There might be wider problems and other people in their lives influencing these thought patterns, but patients are told it’s completely in their control to determine how to feel. It also requires a serious commitment from the patient and it can be emotionally exhausting to try and shed cognitive distortions.

 

 

Reaching out for professional support

It’s important to note that emotional reasoning, like other cognitive distortions, is not limited to individuals with diagnosed mental health conditions. It can affect anyone and contribute to negative thinking patterns and emotional distress. If you or someone you know is struggling with emotional reasoning or other negative thinking errors, seeking professional help from a mental health provider is recommended to explore effective strategies for managing and challenging these distortions.

 

 

Sources

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Casabianca, S. S. (2022, January 10). 15 Cognitive Distortions To Blame for Negative Thinking. Psych Central. https://psychcentral.com/lib/cognitive-distortions-negative-thinking
Ackerman, C. E. (2021, June 12). Cognitive Distortions: When Your Brain Lies to You (+ PDF Worksheets). PositivePsychology.com. https://positivepsychology.com/cognitive-distortions/
Dr. Aaron T. Beck. (2021, August 3). Beck Institute. https://beckinstitute.org/about/dr-aaron-beck/
Cherry, K. (2020, May 15). Psychologist Aaron Beck Biography. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/aaron-beck-biography-2795492
Strauss, R. L. (2013). Mind Over Misery. Stanford magazine. https://stanfordmag.org/contents/mind-over-misery
Thomas, S. (2015, November 14). Albert Ellis: Theory & Concept. Study.com. https://study.com/academy/lesson/albert-ellis-theory-lesson-quiz.html#:
behaviour therapy. (n.d.). Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved February 17, 2022, from https://www.britannica.com/science/behaviour-therapy#ref237968
Quotes about cognitive errors. (n.d.). Quote Master. Retrieved February 17, 2022, from https://www.quotemaster.org/cognitive+errors
20 Cognitive Distortions and How They Affect Your Life. (2015, April 7). GoodTherapy Blog. https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/20-cognitive-distortions-and-how-they-affect-your-life-0407154#
Pros & Cons of CBT Therapy. (n.d.). The CBT Therapy Clinic. Retrieved February 17, 2022, from https://www.thecbtclinic.com/pros-cons-of-cbt-therapy
Rnic, K., Dozois, D. J., & Martin, R. A. (2016). Cognitive distortions, humor styles, and depression. Europe’s Journal of Psychology, 12(3), 348-362. https://doi.org/10.5964/ejop.v12i3.1118