Help clients explore the permissive thinking cognitive distortion, which involves rationalizing or justifying problematic behaviors.
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 characteristic ways in which our thoughts can become biased (Beck, 1963). Permissive thinking (also known as facilitative, justificational, rationalizing, and self-licensing thinking) refers to thoughts that allow individuals to use problematic behaviors (Brandtner et al., 2023). This thinking style acts as a cognitive "bridge" between the urge to engage in maladaptive behavior and the decision to act on that urge.
The Permissive Thinking information handout forms part of the cognitive distortions series, designed to help clients and therapists to work more effectively with common thinking biases. Permissive thinking can lead to individuals justifying harmful behaviors and downplaying their consequences. This resource is designed to:
Justifying addictive behaviors or continued substance use.
Permission-giving thoughts that lead to disordered eating.
Rationalizing aggressive behaviors towards others.
Provide psychoeducation on cognitive distortions and automatic thoughts.
Explore whether the client experiences mind reading thoughts.
Help the client notice when they are mind reading.
Address mind reading thoughts using techniques such as cognitive restructuring.
Catching automatic thoughts and (re)appraising cognitions 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 frequently a helpful way of introducing this concept – clients are often quick to appreciate and identify with the concept of ‘unhelpful thinking styles’, and can easily be trained to notice the presence of biases in their own automatic thoughts. Once biases have been identified, clients can be taught to appraise the accuracy of these automatic thoughts and draw new conclusions.
Permissive thinking was first described in Beck and colleagues’ (1993) cognitive model of addictive behaviors. According to this model, addictive beliefs are activated in a specific sequence. First, internal or external cues trigger anticipatory beliefs about the addictive behavior (“It will be fun to drink… I will feel less anxious… I want oblivion…”). Over time, individuals come to rely on these behaviors to manage distress, establishing relief-orientated beliefs (“I need to drink to function… I won’t cope without it… The urge is too strong to control…”). While both groups of cognitions lead to cravings, it is ultimately permissive thinking that facilitates engaging in the behavior (“I might as well drink – nothing else is going well today”).
Permissive thinking can also play a role in circumventing conflicts around maladaptive behaviors and compulsions. For example, an individual with bulimia nervosa might simultaneously experience positive beliefs about eating (“Having a chocolate bar will help me feel better”) and negative beliefs (“Chocolate will make me gain weight”). This gives rise to a state of tension, which is relieved by permissive thinking (“Eating this won’t count because I’ll vomit later”; Cooper, 2012; Cooper et al., 2004). However, binge-eating episodes are subsequently interpreted as signs of failure, increasing the individual’s negative self-appraisals and distress, which leads to further permissive thinking.
