1. Mental Filter: Mental filtering is when we focus exclusively on the most negative and upsetting features of a situation, filtering out all of the more positive aspects. For example, you may undertake a presentation at work which is complimented and praised by 95 per cent of the team. However, you may be dwelling and focusing on the 5 per cent that thought some aspects could be done better, ignoring the vast majority of positive feedback. Consequently, your view of reality can become distorted with a solely negative perspective preventing you from participating in future events and enjoying the praise offered to you. 2. Disqualifying the Positive: Disqualifying the positive is when we continually discount the positive experiences we encounter by stating that 'they don’t count' or dismissing them as unimportant. For example, we may think when a friend compliments us that 'they are just saying that to be nice' or that 'they are trying to get something out of me'. In this sense it is clear to see how our thinking is distorted as we are solely concerned with the negative aspects of a situation rather than putting that into a bigger picture which includes the positive elements. 3. 'All-or-Nothing' Thinking: 'All-or-nothing' thinking is when we view things purely in 'black-or-white'. These types of thoughts are characterised by terms such as 'always', 'never' or 'every'. Everything is seen as 'good or bad', 'successes or failures' and it is generally the negative perspective that is more readily endorsed, ignoring the shades of grey that lie in between. For example, someone thinking in all-or-nothing terms will see not getting 100 per cent on an exam as a total failure, despite getting 80 per cent. Thinking in this way can be disheartening and demoralising and seeks to heighten negative mood. 4. Overgeneralisation: Someone thinking in an over-generalising way will often see a single unpleasant incident or event as evidence of 'everything being negative'. If something bad happens then it will be seen as part of a never-ending pattern of negativity and defeat. For example, someone who failed an interview may feel that they will never get a job. Similarly, going on a bad date may mean that they will never find a partner. 5. Jumping to Conclusions: An individual who ‘jumps to conclusions’ will often make a negative interpretation or prediction even though there is no evidence to support their conclusion. This type of thinking is often made when thinking about how others feel towards us and is often divided into two categories: - Mind Reading: Assuming the thoughts and intentions of others, e.g. 'I know they were all laughing at me' - Fortune-telling: Anticipating the worse and taking that as fact, e.g. 'I am definitely going to fail' 6. Magnifying or Minimising (also referred to as 'Catastrophisation'): Thinking in a magnifying or minimising manner is when we exaggerate the importance of negative events and minimise or down-play the importance of positive events. In depressed individuals, it is often the positive characteristics of other people that are exaggerated and negatives understated. This type of thinking is also characterised by catastrophe. When we think catastrophically we are unable to see any other outcome other than the worse possible, however unlikely this result may turn out to be. For example, a simple and small mistake in the office will be turned into 'I will lose my job, and then I won’t be able to pay my bills and then I will lose my house'. 7. Personalisation: A person engaging in personalisation will automatically assume responsibility and blame for the cause of negative events that are not under their control. For example, you may think that it’s your fault your project failed despite the fact it was your colleague who did very little work and you did your work on time. This distortion has been described as the 'mother of guilt' because it leads to painful feelings of guilt, shame and inadequacy. 8. 'Shoulds' and 'Oughts': Individuals thinking in 'shoulds', ‘oughts' or 'musts' have an ironclad view of how they and others ‘should’ and ‘ought’ to be. These rigid views or rules can generate feelings of anger, frustration, resentment, disappointment and guilt if not followed. For example, feeling that you 'should get full marks on an exam', that 'you shouldn’t have made so many mistakes', that 'the doctor ought to be on time' or 'I must please everyone'. 9. Emotional Reasoning: Emotional reasoning is when we assume feelings reflect fact regardless of the evidence – ' I feel it, therefore it must be true' , 'If I feel ugly and stupid, then I must actually be ugly and stupid' or ' I feel guilty, therefore I must have done something bad and be a bad person'. These types of thought can lead to self-fulfilling prophecies whereby our thoughts can end up eliciting the behaviour we predicted just because we changed our behaviour in accordance with that thought. 10. Labelling: Labelling is an extreme form of 'all-or-nothing thinking' and overgeneralisation'. For example, upon making a mistake an individual may say 'I am such a loser' or ’Im so stupid” rather than 'I made a mistake'. Rather than describing the specific behaviour, an individual instead assigns a negative and highly-emotive label to themselves or others. These thoughts can lead to anger, guilt and, importantly, are so absolute that there leaves no room for change.