Understanding Thinking Traps
Thinking traps, also called cognitive distortions, are patterns of thought that can distort our perception of reality and contribute to emotional distress. These patterns develop over time and often become automatic, influencing how we interpret situations without our awareness.
By learning to identify these patterns, we can use DBT skills to challenge unhelpful thoughts and develop more balanced perspectives. This guide organizes common thinking traps into categories to help you recognize and address them effectively.
Key Takeaway
Recognizing thinking traps is the first step toward changing unhelpful thought patterns. When we can identify our cognitive distortions, we gain the power to challenge and reframe them.
Categories of Thinking Traps
Perception Distortions
How we filter and interpret information from the world around us
All-or-Nothing Thinking
Seeing things in black and white categories without any middle ground or nuance
Learn more about this trap →Catastrophizing
Assuming the worst possible outcome will happen, often out of proportion to reality
Learn more about this trap →Mind Reading
Assuming you know what others are thinking without sufficient evidence
Learn more about this trap →Mental Filtering
Focusing exclusively on negative aspects while filtering out all positive information
Learn more about this trap →Disqualifying the Positive
Rejecting positive experiences by insisting they "don't count" for some reason
Learn more about this trap →Jumping to Conclusions
Drawing negative conclusions without sufficient evidence to support them
Learn more about this trap →Expectation Traps
The rules and assumptions we place on ourselves, others, and the world
Should Statements
Holding rigid rules about how you, others, or the world "should," "must," or "ought to" be
Learn more about this trap →Fortune Telling
Predicting negative outcomes without evidence, treating your prediction as established fact
Learn more about this trap →Fallacy of Change
Expecting others will change to suit your needs if you pressure or encourage them enough
Learn more about this trap →Attribution Errors
How we explain the causes of events, behaviors, and outcomes
Personalization
Taking excessive responsibility for things outside your control
Learn more about this trap →Overgeneralization
Drawing broad negative conclusions based on a single event or limited evidence
Learn more about this trap →Labeling
Attaching fixed, global labels to yourself or others based on specific behaviors
Learn more about this trap →Additional Thinking Traps
Other common patterns that can distort our perceptions and influence our emotions
Emotional Reasoning
Believing that what you feel must be true (I feel it, therefore it must be true)
Learn more about this trap →Magnification & Minimization
Exaggerating the importance of negative events while downplaying positive ones
Learn more about this trap →Control Fallacies
Feeling either excessively responsible for everything or completely powerless
Learn more about this trap →Heaven's Reward Fallacy
Expecting that self-sacrifice and suffering will eventually pay off, as if someone is keeping score
Learn more about this trap →Just World Fallacy
Believing that the world is inherently fair and that people always get what they deserve
Learn more about this trap →How to Use This Guide
Identify
Browse through the descriptions to identify which thinking traps feel familiar to you in your daily life.
Learn
Click through to each trap to learn more about how it works and discover strategies to challenge it.
Practice
Apply DBT skills to challenge these patterns in your thoughts, building awareness and resilience over time.
Ready to start working with thinking traps? Choose a category above to explore specific patterns, or visit our DBT modules to learn related skills.