GRAND CANYON UNIVERSITY PHI 105
COGNITIVE DISTORTIONS QUIZ 2026
◉ Cognitive distortions are. Answer: thoughts that cognitive
therapists believe cause individuals to perceive reality inaccurately.
These thinking patterns often are said to reinforce negative thoughts
or emotions.[2] Cognitive distortions tend to interfere with the way
a person perceives an event. Because the way a person feels
intervenes with how they think, these distorted thoughts can feed
negative emotions and lead an individual affected by cognitive
distortions towards an overall negative outlook on the world and
consequently a depressive or anxious mental state.
◉ 1. Personalizing.. Answer: Taking something personally that may
not be personal. Seeing events as consequences of your actions
when there are other possibilities. For example, believing someone's
brusque tone must be because they're irritated with you.
◉ 2. Mindreading.. Answer: Guessing what someone else is thinking,
when they may not be thinking that.
◉ 3. Negative predictions.. Answer: Overestimating the likelihood
that an action will have a negative outcome.
,◉ 4. Underestimating coping ability.. Answer: Underestimating your
ability cope with negative events.
◉ 5. Catastrophizing.. Answer: Thinking of unpleasant events as
catastrophes.
◉ 6. Biased attention toward signs of social rejection, and lack of
attention to signs of social acceptance.. Answer: For example, during
social interactions, paying attention to someone yawning but not
paying the same degree of attention to other cues that suggest they
are interested in what you're saying (such as them leaning in)
◉ 7. Negatively biased recall of social encounters.. Answer:
Remembering negatives from a social situation and not
remembering positives. For example, remembering losing your place
for a few seconds while giving a talk but not remembering the huge
clap you got at the end.
◉ 8. Thinking an absence of effusiveness means something is
wrong.. Answer: believing an absence of a smiley-face in an email
means someone is mad at you. Or, interpreting "You did a good job"
as negative if you were expecting "You did a great job."
◉ 9. Unrelenting standards.. Answer: The belief that achieving
unrelentingly high standards is necessary to avoid a catastrophe. For
, example, the belief that making any mistakes will lead to your
colleagues thinking you're useless.
◉ 10. Entitlement beliefs.. Answer: Believing the same rules that
apply to others should not apply to you. For example, believing you
shouldn't need to do an internship even if that is the normal path to
employment in your industry.
◉ 11. Justification and moral licensing.. Answer: For example, I've
made progress toward my goal and therefore it's ok if I act in a way
that is inconsistent with it.
◉ 12. Belief in a just world.. Answer: For example, believing that
poor people must deserve to be poor.
◉ 13. Seeing a situation only from your own perspective.. Answer:
For example, failing to look at a topic of relationship tension from
your partner's perspective.
◉ 14. Belief that self-criticism is an effective way to motivate
yourself toward better future behavior.. Answer: It's not.
◉ 15. Recognizing feelings as causes of behavior, but not equally
attending to how behavior influences thoughts and feelings..
COGNITIVE DISTORTIONS QUIZ 2026
◉ Cognitive distortions are. Answer: thoughts that cognitive
therapists believe cause individuals to perceive reality inaccurately.
These thinking patterns often are said to reinforce negative thoughts
or emotions.[2] Cognitive distortions tend to interfere with the way
a person perceives an event. Because the way a person feels
intervenes with how they think, these distorted thoughts can feed
negative emotions and lead an individual affected by cognitive
distortions towards an overall negative outlook on the world and
consequently a depressive or anxious mental state.
◉ 1. Personalizing.. Answer: Taking something personally that may
not be personal. Seeing events as consequences of your actions
when there are other possibilities. For example, believing someone's
brusque tone must be because they're irritated with you.
◉ 2. Mindreading.. Answer: Guessing what someone else is thinking,
when they may not be thinking that.
◉ 3. Negative predictions.. Answer: Overestimating the likelihood
that an action will have a negative outcome.
,◉ 4. Underestimating coping ability.. Answer: Underestimating your
ability cope with negative events.
◉ 5. Catastrophizing.. Answer: Thinking of unpleasant events as
catastrophes.
◉ 6. Biased attention toward signs of social rejection, and lack of
attention to signs of social acceptance.. Answer: For example, during
social interactions, paying attention to someone yawning but not
paying the same degree of attention to other cues that suggest they
are interested in what you're saying (such as them leaning in)
◉ 7. Negatively biased recall of social encounters.. Answer:
Remembering negatives from a social situation and not
remembering positives. For example, remembering losing your place
for a few seconds while giving a talk but not remembering the huge
clap you got at the end.
◉ 8. Thinking an absence of effusiveness means something is
wrong.. Answer: believing an absence of a smiley-face in an email
means someone is mad at you. Or, interpreting "You did a good job"
as negative if you were expecting "You did a great job."
◉ 9. Unrelenting standards.. Answer: The belief that achieving
unrelentingly high standards is necessary to avoid a catastrophe. For
, example, the belief that making any mistakes will lead to your
colleagues thinking you're useless.
◉ 10. Entitlement beliefs.. Answer: Believing the same rules that
apply to others should not apply to you. For example, believing you
shouldn't need to do an internship even if that is the normal path to
employment in your industry.
◉ 11. Justification and moral licensing.. Answer: For example, I've
made progress toward my goal and therefore it's ok if I act in a way
that is inconsistent with it.
◉ 12. Belief in a just world.. Answer: For example, believing that
poor people must deserve to be poor.
◉ 13. Seeing a situation only from your own perspective.. Answer:
For example, failing to look at a topic of relationship tension from
your partner's perspective.
◉ 14. Belief that self-criticism is an effective way to motivate
yourself toward better future behavior.. Answer: It's not.
◉ 15. Recognizing feelings as causes of behavior, but not equally
attending to how behavior influences thoughts and feelings..
