Aasai

COGNITIVE DISTORTIONS AND ITS IMPACTS ON OUR SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL AND BEHAVIOURAL HEALTH.

Cognitive distortions refers to irrational and exergerated thought patterns that can lead to worry,stress, ineffective coping mechanisms and overgeneralizations.Cognitive distortions arise from Jeans Piaget cognitive theory which states that what we feel and think about ourselves can lead to psychological problems.

Cognitive distortions can also be used to refer to negative self talk.Negative self talk refers to inner dialogue within ourselves that leads to irrational thinking and behaviours.Cognitive distortions manifest in various ways.Over generalisation is the first way in which cognitive distortion occurs.Over generalisation refers to a tendency to conclude without thorough evidence for example,if a man has ever wronged you then you come and conclude that all men are bad.

Magnification and minimisation is the second way in which cognitive distortions occurs.Magnification refers to the tendency in which an individual makes a problem to appear as big than it should be whereas minimisation refers to the tendency in which a problem is made to appear as more smaller than it should be.With minimisation and magnification,the exact size of the problem is not easily identified due to cognitive distortions.

Personalization of the problem is another way in which cognitive distortions manifest.Personalization refers to the tendency in which an individual takes the responsibilities by himself or herself even if the work is required to be done by members.This occurs because of the cognitive distortions he or she undergoes.Mental filtering is another type of cognitive distortions which refers to focusing on the negative events and ignoring the positive ones.

Jumping into conclusion.This refers to arriving at the conclusion without conducting a thorough evidence about a situation or an event.Other ways in which cognitive distortions occurs include use of shoulds statements for example I should begin to work hard, labelling whereby one labels himself as either the negative person or rather one who is not capable of achieving a goal and other objectives.

Cognitive distortions are negative in our lives and overall wellbeing.Cognitive distortions affects both social, physical and emotional wellbeing and therefore actions need to be taken and put into place to ensure it is dealt with effectively.Cognitive restructuring which simply means changing and challenging the negative thoughts patterns is very fundamental when it comes to dealing with cognitive distortions.

Reframing thought patterns can also serve a vital role when it comes to dealing with cognitive distortions appropriately.When we switch out thoughts to a more positive pathways then there can be high likely of enhancing mental and emotional wellbeing.Cognitive distortions also have different effects in an individuals life.

Cognitive distortions can cause emotional distress.Emotional distress refers to the disturbances in the emotions and personality traits and thus can lead to chronic stress if it persists.Stress is the response to perceived threats and tensions that individuals find very difficult to cope with or manage.

Disruption of interpersonal relationship.Cognitive distortions affects ones ability to communicate effectively with others because of jumping into conclusions without enough evidence.If this continually occurs,it diminishes an individuals support systems, support networks and lowers ones self esteem too.