Cognitive Distortion

Cognitive distortion is an irrational way of thinking which is often associated with mental health problems such as depression and anxiety.

Aaron Beck, an American psychiatrist and the father of cognitive therapy, laid the foundation on the study of the different schemas which lead to unrealistic perceptions of reality. Beck proposed the theory in 1976 and David Burns developed it with the different types of cognitive distortions such as filtering, , overgeneralization, jumping to conclusions, and catastrophizing.

For instance, a person suffering from depression magnifies negative information in his daily experiences which makes him have a global pessimistic viewpoint.