Feelings Are Not Facts series “All-or-Nothing Thinking”

All-or-nothing thinking is the first topic in our Feelings Aren’t Facts series. This series of blog posts will highlight ten common cognitive distortions, or ways that your automatic thoughts can cause problems.

All-or-nothing thinking, sometimes known as black-and-white thinking, is when you view a situation as being able to fit in only two categories instead of on a spectrum.

“If I’m not perfect at this, it means I’m a failure.”

“I didn’t run as fast as I did last time, so I’m not good at this.”

“If I don’t get an A in this class it means I’m not smart.”

“If she doesn’t want to be my friend, it must mean that no one wants to be my friend.”

Life does not fit perfectly into two categories (i.e., success/failure, good/bad, etc.). It is more complex and lives primarily in the middle. Just because something doesn’t fit into category A, does not automatically mean that it fits into category B. There are many other categories, or combinations of categories available.

Sometimes our thoughts trick us into believing that anything short of total success means that we have failed, this can cause a significant negative impact on our self-esteem, feelings, and behaviors. It can lead to feelings of depression and anxiety, increased procrastination, higher levels of stress, and avoidance.