Overgeneralising is when you take one negative event and apply it to everything, like “I failed once, so I always will.” Learning to see each situation on its own can help you respond more realistically and kindly to yourself.
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Dr Harriet Mellotte
Clinical Psychologist & CBT Therapist, BABCP
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Beck, A. T., Rush, A. J., Shaw, B. F., & Emery, G. (1979). Cognitive Therapy of Depression. Guilford Press. — Foundational CBT text that describes overgeneralising as a core cognitive distortion linked with depression and negative thinking. Williams, J. M. G., et al. (2007). Autobiographical memory specificity and emotional disorder. Psychological Bulletin, 133(1), 122–148. — Reviews overgeneral memory (a form of overgeneralisation) and its relationship with depression and PTSD. Kuyken, W., et al. (2009). Overgeneral autobiographical memory and future thinking in depression and anxiety: Common and specific features. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 47(5), 428–433. — Shows that overgeneralising patterns in memory and prediction are linked with emotional disorders.
