How to Overcome Personalization
a customization Cognitive distortion is a type of thinking
in which people blame themselves for external events over which they have no
control. Learn how to use cognitive restructuring to control personalization.
Definition of Personalization
Personalization is a cognitive distortion in which a person
places disproportionate blame on themselves in relation to the consequences of
an outcome. For example, if a family relocates to a new town and a child
struggles to make friends, a parent may blame themselves for the situation.
Personalization is devoid of emotional reasoning and can lead to negative
thoughts, low self-esteem, and social anxiety disorder.
What Are Cognitive Distortions?
Cognitive distortions are thought patterns that are
exaggerated or illogical and reframe events, interactions, and contexts. People
perceive themselves differently and negatively as a result of this negative
thinking. Low self-esteem or a history of abuse can both contribute to this
mental bias.
People who have cognitive distortions may interpret a
positive experience as a negative event. Even when a person is happy, negative
thinking can make them feel unworthy of love, friendship, or affection.
Exaggerating and mis-labeling can lead to depression and the perpetuation of psychopathological
states in many cases.
The Impact of Personalization
Personalization can have a negative impact on one's
happiness and mental health. This mental framing can lead to negative self-talk
and perpetuate negative thought patterns. Engaging in distorted thoughts can
amplify self-doubt. Personalization can be isolating socially. People may not
feel at ease around those who constantly blame themselves.
How to Overcome Personalization
If you are experiencing emotional distress as a result of
personalization, seek psychotherapy from a mental health professional.
Personalization and other types of cognitive distortions can be overcome with
cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT is a psychosocial intervention in which
mental health professionals work with patients to teach them self-blame coping
skills.
A List of Cognitive Distortions With Examples
Cognitive distortions come in a variety of forms. Among the
most common cognitive distortions are:
All-or-nothing thinking: This is a type of black-and-white
thinking in which people perceive events, feelings, and reactions without
comprehending the nuances of others' actions and emotions.
Being always correct: People who perceive opinions as facts
exhibit this cognitive distortion. Perfectionists and people suffering from
imposter syndrome may have difficulty accepting disagreement.
Catastrophizing: This is a cognitive distortion in
which the worst possible outcome is given disproportionate weight, regardless
of how remote the possibility of such an outcome is. It is also known as the
binocular trick because it involves magnifying or downplaying the significance
of events.
Disqualifying the positive: A cognitive distortion known as
disqualifying the positive is the reduction of positive aspects of a situation.
This is an example of all-or-nothing thinking.
Overgeneralizing: This type of thinking involves
constructing false patterns from isolated events, resulting in faulty
generalizations based on insufficient evidence. Labeling is an extreme form of
overgeneralization in which people label behaviors with emotional or inaccurate
labels.
Mental filtering: This is defined as focusing on the
negative aspects of an event while dismissing the positive aspects. This
cognitive distortion can negatively impact the perception of an interaction, a
relationship, or a personality.
Mind reading: This is the inference of others' negative
thoughts, even when they are unspoken or unlikely to exist at all. This can
also lead to fortune telling, which is when someone predicts (usually negative)
outcomes that are highly unlikely to occur.
Personalization: This is taking responsibility for
negative events that are beyond your control. This type of negative thinking
can lead to emotional distress.
