Cognitive Distortions

verb to think, speak, or write at length about (a particular subject, especially one that is a source of unhappiness, anxiety, or dissatisfaction)

• It is not productive to dwell on past mistakes in a professional setting.
• Don't dwell on what happened, just move on and focus on the present.
• Stop dwelling on it, it's not worth your time and energy.
• His mind tends to dwell on negative thoughts, preventing him from enjoying the present moment.

noun a false or mistaken belief

• The misbelief that vaccines cause autism has been debunked by numerous scientific studies.
• There is a common misbelief that eating carrots will improve your eyesight.
• Don't fall for the misbelief that you can get rich quick with that scheme.
• Her misbelief in her own abilities held her back from pursuing her dreams.

adjective A word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun. In this case, 'not true' is describing something that is false or incorrect.

• The statement made by the witness is simply not true.
• I'm telling you, what they said is just not true.
• That's total BS, it's so not true.
• His words may sound convincing, but they are not true in the slightest.

noun A word used to identify a person, place, thing, or idea.

verb A word used to describe an action, state, or occurrence.

adjective A word used to describe or modify a noun.

adverb A word or phrase that modifies or qualifies an adjective, verb, or other adverb or a word group, expressing a relation of place, time, circumstance, manner, cause, degree, etc.

pronoun A word that can function by itself as a noun phrase and that refers either to the participants in the discourse or to someone or something mentioned elsewhere in the discourse.

preposition A word used to show the relationship between a noun or pronoun and other words in a sentence.

conjunction A word used to connect clauses or sentences or to coordinate words in the same clause.

• It is absurd to swear that black is white, as they are clearly distinct colors.
• I can't believe some people actually say that black is white, it's ridiculous.
• I heard someone think that black is white, can you believe that?
• Sometimes in arguments, people swear that black is white just to prove their point.

verb to view or present a situation as considerably worse than it actually is, often leading to feelings of extreme anxiety or distress

• It is important not to catastrophize situations and instead approach them with a rational mindset.
• Don't catastrophize things, just take them as they come.
• Stop catastrophizing everything, it's not as bad as you think.
• She tends to catastrophize minor setbacks, turning them into major disasters in her mind.

noun anthill

verb make

preposition out of

article an

• It is not advisable to make a mountain out of an anthill when dealing with minor issues in the workplace.
• Don't make a mountain out of an anthill over such a small matter.
• Why are you making a mountain out of an anthill about this?
• She tends to make a mountain out of an anthill when it comes to simple tasks.

adjective characterized by divided or contrasting qualities or parts

• The researcher used a dichotomous scale to categorize the survey responses.
• It's like a yes or no question, very dichotomous.
• The whole situation was so black and white, it was dichotomous.
• Her thoughts on the matter were dichotomous, torn between two extremes.

noun a type of flawed, illogical, or convoluted reasoning or argumentation

• The argument presented by the defendant was filled with pretzel logic, making it difficult for the jury to follow.
• I couldn't make sense of her explanation, it was like trying to untangle pretzel logic.
• His excuse was just a bunch of pretzel logic, trying to twist the truth.
• Her reasoning was like a twisted pretzel, full of convoluted logic.

noun a branch of psychology that deals with abnormal behavior and mental disorders

• Abnormal psychology is the branch of psychology that studies unusual patterns of behavior, emotion, and thought.
• Studying abnormal psychology gives you insight into why people behave in unexpected ways.
• Diving into abnormal psychology is like exploring the mysteries of the human mind.
• In the world of abnormal psychology, every mind is a puzzle waiting to be solved.

adjective relating to or characterized by absolutism; authoritarian or dictatorial

• The philosopher's absolutistic views on morality led to intense debates among his peers.
• She can be quite absolutistic when it comes to following rules.
• Don't be so absolutistic about it, just go with the flow.
• His absolutistic approach to problem-solving left no room for creativity or innovation.

verb to make something absolute or to treat something as absolute

• It is important not to absolutize any one perspective without considering all possible viewpoints.
• Don't absolutize your opinion without hearing what others have to say.
• Dude, don't absolutize your thoughts, be open to different ideas.
• She tends to absolutize everything, seeing things in black and white instead of shades of gray.

noun a piece of advice or recommendation given to guide someone in making a decision or taking action

• I sought advice from a professional before making any decisions.
• Can you give me some advice on what to wear to the party?
• Hey, can you hook me up with some advice on how to ace this test?
• His words of wisdom acted as a guiding advice in my life.