This Disqualifying The Positive information handout forms part of the cognitive distortions series, designed to help clients and therapists work more effectively with common thinking biases.
Offers theory, guidance, and prompts for mental health professionals. Downloads are in Fillable PDF format where appropriate.
Includes client-friendly guidance. Downloads are in Fillable PDF format where appropriate.
Cognitive distortions, cognitive biases, or ‘unhelpful thinking styles’ are the characteristic ways our thoughts become biased (Beck, 1963). Catching automatic thoughts and (re)appraising them is a core component of traditional cognitive therapy (Beck et al, 1979; Beck, 1995; Kennerley, Kirk, Westbrook, 2007). Identifying the presence and nature of cognitive biases is often a helpful way of introducing this concept - clients are usually quick to appreciate and identify with the concept of ‘unhelpful thinking styles’.
Disqualifying the positive is a well-known thinking style in which individuals ignore, dismiss, or discount their positive attributes and experiences. Disqualifying the positive can be especially pernicious because it can maintain negative beliefs in the face of overwhelming counter-evidence and contradictory everyday events.
Disqualifying the positive is a common cognitive distortion, particularly in depression and anxiety. Clinicians can use this resource to:
Dismissing progress or personal achievements.
Discounting compliments and personal strengths.
Focusing on performance deficits rather than strengths.
Disqualifying positive aspects of social interactions.
Introduce clients to the concept of cognitive distortions.
Help clients recognize where, when, and how they disqualify positives.
Encourage clients to notice when this unhelpful thinking style occurs.
Tackle this cognitive distortion using interventions such as positive data logging.
According to the cognitive model, different cognitive biases are associated with different clinical presentations. For example, catastrophizing is associated with anxiety disorders (Nöel et al, 2012), dichotomous thinking has been linked to emotional instability (Veen & Arntz, 2000), and thought-action fusion is associated with obsessive compulsive disorder (Shafran et al., 1996).
Disqualifying the positive is a well-known thinking style in which individuals ignore, dismiss, or discount their positive attributes and experiences. Many therapists will be familiar with clients who use this type of “yes, but…” reasoning. While disqualifying the positive has been emphasized in cognitive models of depression (e.g., Gilbert, 2009), it plays a role in other disorders. For example, individuals with specific phobias often disqualify external rescue factors, such as the strength of physical structures (e.g., the robust design of aeroplanes) or the willingness of others to help in crisis situations (Kirk & Rouf, 2004).
Likewise, individuals with perfectionism tend to ignore or discount positive aspects of their performance, leading them to think that their high standards prompt continued striving (Egan et al., 2014).
