4. Cognitive Distortions, Meaning

After recognizing and allowing what is, we can start to investigate our thoughts & beliefs about our adversities and triggers. Our distorted thoughts (cognitive distortions) lead us to self-defeating beliefs about ourselves, others, and life in general.

New research links meaning in life to lower depression rates

A new review of over 250,000 individuals reveals that having a clear sense of meaning in life is consistently linked to lower levels of depression, though the strength of this protection varies widely across different ages and cultural backgrounds.

PsyPost Psychology NewsKarina Petrova

APA PsycNet

Rational emotive behavior therapy, 2nd ed. (2019) "REBT is the founding cognitive, multimodal, and integrative therapy approach. Albert Ellis originated it in the 1950s, and other cognitive approaches followed. From its start, the approach included philosophical as well as experiential, emotional, and behavioral techniques."

Types of Cognitive Distortions

(2025): Cognitive distortions are defined as “systematic errors in… thinking… [that]… maintain the patient’s belief in the validity of his negative concepts despite the presence of contradictory evidence”¹. Cognitive distortions are present in all individuals and can be defined as systematic biases that arise in response to specific situations, influencing the way both internal and external information is processed. Generally, these biases or distortions do not adhere to the principles of logic, probabilistic reasoning, or plausibility². **They interfere with perception and decision-making**³ **and perpetua pre-existing cognitive schemata**⁴, **which may be maladaptive or erroneous.**

If you have thoughts that lead to negative emotions that don't resolve on their own, you may have identified what CPT calls a Stuck Point.

All or Nothing Thinking You see things in black and white categories. If your performance falls short of perfect, you see yourself as a total failure.
Overgeneralizing You see a single negative event as a never ending pattern of defeat.
Mental Filter You pick out a single negative detail and dwell on it exclusively so that your vision of all reality becomes darkened, like the drop of ink that discolors the entire beaker of water.
Disqualifying the Positive You reject positive experiences by insisting they “don’t count” for some reason or other. In this way you can maintain a negative belief that is contradicted by your everyday experiences. You make a negative interpretation even though there are no definite facts that convincingly support your conclusion.
Jumping to Conclusions (If/Then Thinking) If this, then that type thinking is not always accurate. For example, assuming your partner is upset with you because they walk in with a pained look on their face. You may also then conclude, that if your partner is mad at you, then that means you are unsafe.
The Fortune Teller Error You anticipate that things will turn out badly, and you feel convinced that your prediction is an already established fact.
Magnification (Catastrophizing) or Minimization You exaggerate the importance of things (such as your goof up or someone else’s achievement), or you inappropriately shrink things until they appear tiny (your own desirable qualities or the other fellow’s imperfections). You may also minimize real problems as a way of denial and avoidance.
Emotional Reasoning You assume that your negative emotions necessarily reflect the way things really are– “I feel it; therefore, it must be true.” I feel scared of flying, so flying must be dangerous. We can accept your feeling, but there are thoughts BEHIND the feeling.
Should Statements You try to motivate yourself with should and shouldn’ts, as if you had to be whipped and punished before you could be expected to do anything. “Musts” and “oughts” are also offenders. The emotional consequence is guilt. When you direct should statements toward others, you feel anger and resentment. How do we should on ourselves and others?
Labeling This is an extreme form of over generalization. Instead of describing your error, you attach a negative label to yourself: “I’m a loser.” When someone else’s behavior rubs you the wrong way, you attach a negative label to him: “He’s a jerk.”
Personalization and Blame With personalization, you see yourself as the cause of some negative external event which in fact you were not primarily responsible. With blame, you blame other people or your circumstances for problems, and overlook ways that you might be contributing to the problem.
Underestimating your Ability to Cope is where you doubt your ability to manage stressors you experience in the world.
Just world belief- Good things happen to good people. Bad behaviors are punished. It's not fair! Why me?!

In an Absolute State: Elevated Use of Absolutist Words Is a Marker Specific to Anxiety, Depression, and Suicidal Ideation (2018)

"Absolutist thinking underlies many of the cognitive distortions (Beck, 1979; Burns, 1989) and irrational beliefs (A. Ellis & Harper, 1975) that are purported to mediate the core affective disorders. Words, phrases, and ideas that denote totality, either of magnitude or probability, are often referred to as “absolute. The maladaptive status of absolutist thinking is a recognized part of cognitive therapy (CT; C. Williams & Garland, 2002). To date, theoretical and anecdotal support has mostly served as the basis for its inclusion; we hope the findings from our studies will add empirical justification. The extent to which absolutist thinking is currently addressed by CT depends on the form of CT used and the preferred methods of each practitioner. For example, combatting absolutist thinking is at the very core of rational-emotive behavioral therapy (David, Lynn, & Ellis, 2009), whereas reducing negative thoughts takes primacy in other forms of CT. Recently, research into treating cognitive vulnerabilities and preventing relapse has migrated toward the new “third-wave” therapies (Teasdale et al., 2000). These therapies, such as mindfulness-based cognitive therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy, are largely geared toward increasing cognitive flexibility (e.g., Kahl, Winter, & Schweiger, 2012). Our findings are therefore in step with the recent trend toward cultivating adaptive cognitive processes (i.e., flexibility) as distinct from changing the content of thoughts (i.e., negativity).

A three-level meta-analysis of the relationship between meaning in life and depression (2026)

When individuals lack meaning in life, they are prone to feelings of boredom and emptiness, perceive life as valueless and purposeless, and eventually develop depression (Schnell, 2009). The Cognitive Theory of Depression (Beck, 1979) indicates that depressed individuals have negative cognitive schemas, and their negative cognitive processes are causes of depression. However, meaning in life can help individuals manage their feelings and achieve life satisfaction (Wong, 2007).

Cognitive distortions in patients with social anxiety disorder: Comparison of a clinical group and healthy controls (2018)

Patients with SAD had more cognitive distortions compared with the healthy controls. The comorbid depressive symptoms in SAD had effects on ‘mental filter, overgeneralization and personalization’ in social situations, and there was no specific cognitive distortion without depression. Cognitive distortions in these patients were more related to depression and trait anxiety levels than the severity of social anxiety.

Stuck Points often come up surrounding safety, trust, power/control, esteem, intimacy

Exploring the Roles of Body Dissatisfaction, Cognitive Distraction, and Age in Sexual Distress Related to Sexual Function and Sexual Satisfaction in Men: An Extended Understanding Using a Moderated Mediation Model (2025)

Self-objectification theory posits that objectification of people’s bodies, as a synonym for self-worth, translates into body surveillance and dissatisfaction, which has a negative impact on both social and emotional adjustment. According to empirical data based on cognitive models, body dissatisfaction translates into cognitive distraction during sexual activity, affecting sexual response.