{"id":1395,"date":"2019-05-12T21:32:23","date_gmt":"2019-05-12T21:32:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lancaster.ac.uk\/reacttoolkit\/?page_id=1395"},"modified":"2025-10-20T08:37:09","modified_gmt":"2025-10-20T08:37:09","slug":"common-thinking-traps","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.lancaster.ac.uk\/reacttoolkit\/toolkit\/managing-stress-think-differently\/common-thinking-traps\/","title":{"rendered":"Common Thinking Traps"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Here are some of the most common thinking traps:<\/h4>\n

1. All or Nothing Thinking (Black and White Thinking)<\/h4>\n

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A tendency to see things in extremes e.g. \u2018everything is absolutely awful and always will be\u2018 vs \u2018everything is resolved and there will never be any more problems\u2019. The reality for most is somewhere in between i.e. pretty grey. Usually there are some things going well, and some things not. e.g. \u2018Some things have improved a bit, but there are still challenges ahead\u2018 .<\/p>\n

2. Jumping to Conclusions<\/h4>\n

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This happens when we assume something (usually the worst) is true without real reason to do so e.g. \u2018the last medication \/ therapy didn\u2019t work so this new one isn\u2019t going to be of any use either\u2019. In fact it often takes many attempts to find the most appropriate treatment for each person.<\/p>\n

3. Mind Reading<\/h4>\n

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None of us can really read minds but we spend a lot of time pretending we can. We guess what other people are thinking all the time: whether they like us, whether they are interested in what we are saying etc. This is generally very useful as it helps us to communicate. It can also lead to errors when we assume people are thinking things that they are not e.g. \u201cHe just lies in bed all day. He doesn\u2019t want to get better.\u2019 He might be in bed with a temperature, or really struggling with anxiety that makes it difficult to go out, even though he really wants to go outside.<\/p>\n

4. Personalising<\/h4>\n

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It\u2019s easy to blame yourself for everything that goes wrong. Many relatives blame themselves for causing psychosis, e.g. \u2018If I\u2019d been a better parent then she wouldn\u2019t have got ill.\u2018 There is no evidence that this is the case. There is also lots of evidence to support the role of many other factors such as genetics, trauma, drugs and stress. Many people with mental health problems have excellent parents and family carers.<\/p>\n

5. Focusing on the Negatives (and Ignoring the Positives)<\/h4>\n

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Some people see a half full glass of water as half empty and others see it as half full. Neither is right (or wrong). The difference is that one is focusing on the negatives (the empty half) and the other on the positives (the full half). It\u2019s easy to do this when someone in the family is recovering from psychosis \u2013 focusing on all the things they still can\u2019t do that they used to be able to e.g. \u2018He\u2019s playing football again. He used to play for the county but now he can\u2019t even get on the pub\u2019s first team.\u2018 A positive focus might be: \u201cat least he has started playing football again and seems to be enjoying it, getting out and meeting people. This is more than was happening last month\u201d.<\/p>\n

Watch Helen discuss changing her thinking and finding perspective<\/h4>\n