Cognitive Distortions

Reviewed By

Donna Bottomley - Psychotherapist, MBABCP accredited, 10+ years in CBT and EMDR

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Have you ever convinced yourself that something was a complete disaster when it was really just a minor setback? These thinking patterns are called cognitive distortions – they're like your mind's shortcuts gone wrong, twisting reality and often making you feel worse than you need to.

References

Beck, A. T. (1963). "Thinking and Depression: I. Idiosyncratic Content and Cognitive Distortions." Archives of General Psychiatry, 9(4), 324-333. This is the foundational paper where Beck first introduced the concept of cognitive distortions. Burns, D. D. (1980). "Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy." New York: William Morrow. While not a research paper, this book popularized cognitive distortions and made them accessible to the public. Mathews, A., & MacLeod, C. (2005). "Cognitive vulnerability to emotional disorders." Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 1, 167-195. A comprehensive review examining how cognitive distortions contribute to emotional disorders. Leahy, R. L. (2017). "Cognitive Therapy Techniques: A Practitioner's Guide." New York: Guilford Press. A detailed examination of cognitive distortions and their treatment in clinical practice. Clark, D. A., & Beck, A. T. (2010). "Cognitive theory and therapy of anxiety and depression: Convergence with neurobiological findings." Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 14(9), 418-424. Links cognitive distortions to neuroscience and brain function. Dozois, D. J. A., & Beck, A. T. (2008). "Cognitive schemas, beliefs and assumptions." In K. S. Dobson (Ed.), Risk factors in depression (pp. 121-143). San Diego, CA: Academic Press. An important paper exploring how cognitive distortions develop and persist. Barlow, D. H., & DiNardo, P. A. (1991). "The syndrome of cognitive distortions: Theoretical and research perspectives." In D. J. Stein (Ed.), Cognitive Science and Clinical Disorders (pp. 187-208). A foundational work examining cognitive distortions across different psychological disorders.