Overgeneralization
Overgeneralization is a common cognitive distortion whereby individuals make a sweeping judgement or conclusion based on just one experience or a small number of incidents.
Overgeneralization
Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) suggests that our thoughts influence how we feel and how we act. However, some of our thoughts can be biased. Recognizing these ‘cognitive distortions’ or ‘unhelpful thinking styles’ can help you judge how accurate and useful your automatic thoughts are. This tool will introduce you to a common distortion called overgeneralization.
Overview
Cognitive distortions, cognitive biases, or ‘unhelpful thinking styles’ are characteristic ways in which our thoughts can become biased (Beck, 1963). Overgeneralization is a cognitive distortion where individuals draw broad, self-defeating conclusions about themselves, others, and the world based on isolated incidents. Consequently, a single event may be incorrectly viewed as part of an ongoing, pervasive pattern in a person's life (Tolin, 2016). This type of thinking often includes global terms like "always," "never," and "everyone."
This Overgeneralization information handout forms part of the cognitive distortions series, designed to help clients and therapists to work more effectively with common thinking biases.
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