Cognitive Distortions ; When Thinking Becomes Either Black or White

Cognitive distortions are by definition one's distorted perceptions of reality.

To add some pulp and illustration to the vapid definition, one could take into account some examples.
A sex offender who vehemently adhers to the mistaken belief that the act of rape on a woman is justified because 'women love to be treated rough', or some women justifying a spouse's abusive behaviour and rationalizing that he is not fundamentally violent but in need for love and guidance - are all fruits of one or more distortions of reality.

 

Dichotomous thinking

A common cognitive distortion is Black and White or Dichotomous thinking.It is an extreme all-or-nothing mental conception which some employ when approaching situations , events and other individuals.
A healthy individul with a rightly cultivated state of mind and mature perceptions of reality should be able to integrate all negative and positive aspects of individuals and events.
A coordinated personality with healthy and developed defense mechanisms sees shades of grey. Such is able to positivly oversee threats to his ego ,and is able to form mental compromisations.
Those who adhere to the rigidness of Dichotomous thinking can only relate to or judge circumstances based on primitive and extreme generalizations.
One's husband is not necesarily prepping his wife for an impending divorce if he is working overtime most nights and a minor tiff with a close friend should not be met by total denounciation and cessation of all further apointments ,brunches or diner dates.
Many individuals can fall victim to this cognitive distortion,but when it is applied consistantly and severly in one`s everyday life,it may be pathological and a symptom of a personality disorder.

Dichotomous thinking in relation to Personality Disorders

A personality disorder effects perception and cognition ,impairs judgement, causes interpersonal problems as well as emotional problems to the afflicted and to those who cross paths with them.  There are 3 clusters of disorders related to one`s character and notably 'Cluster B' are those who would make use of interpersonal Dichotomous thinking the most. Those disgnosed by legend of Cluster B are carefully named the 'dramatic-erratic' grouping, as they struggle to relate to others and additionally struggle to keep impulsive behaviours in check.The personality disorders in this cluster are ; Antisocial Personality Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder,Histrionic Personality Disorder and Narcissistic Personality Disorder.

Borderline Personality Disorder

It goes without saying that the most infamous personality disorder is Borderline Personality Disorder. The media has turned this illness into one that is both glamourised and demonized by the media and


by cinematography . Due to the Borderline`s impulsive and dramatically destructive nature it is admittedly fitting when displayed in Hollywood projectories.
Not only is Black and White thinking a suggestive consequence of living with a character dysfunction but for Borderline personality disorder specifically it is it a main diagnostic criteria.
Borderlines use interpersonal Dichotomous thinking as a central defense mechanism to regulate self esteem. When a close friend fails to keep an appointment or return a phone call, the afflicted will assume the worst and will not be able to integrate other factors into the circumstance. Fear and over sensitivity to threat are big factors in Dichotomous thinking as the Borderline cannot handle any personal pain and will be prompt when erradicating the source of displeasure. He is unwilling to gamble with such an emotional Russian Roulette and would rather dissociate and recline into the comfort of rejecting the other. The 'offending' other is devalued and seen as `bad` or as a threat , and thus the relationship is ended to ward off dissapointment. Not surprisingly, interpersonal conflicts are another  troubling criteria in the Borderline checklist .

Those who suffer from Narcisstic Personality Disorder are also no stranger to distorted thinking. While inflating their own self image, their notion of emotional survival is based on the precarious view that they are superior and others are menial,ordinary or below them. Narcissists must induldge in actions which promote the belief that they themselves are most worthy,and any evidence that indicates that they are parallel or inferior to others launches them into exagerrated forms of self

shaming and self hate.The adult Narcissist is reminiscent of each one of us as a child, we expected to be cattered to and we were self perceived as the sun in which our parent`s lives orbited. We judged those who slighted us as `monsters`, and those who came to us ladden with gifts,treats and affection as a positive figures-dependable and trustworthy. Our childhood imaginations did not stretch beyond what we did not know and what we did not care to suspect; those we considered monsters might have had a bad day and those who bestowed us with gifts and compliments might have to our better knowledge been sexual perverts. Like the Borderline,the Narcissist`s ego-driven universe would be much more stable,harmonised and realistic if their perceptions and patterns of thinking were less dramatic.

Including the coquettish Histrionic and brash Antisocial personalities,all four disordered subtypes follow a certain pattern of relating to family,friends,lovers and peers. The closer the bond or attachments ,the more intense and pathological the defense mechanism.

Idealization and Devaluation

Idealization and Devaluation is a product of Black and White thinking when applied in the interpersonal sense. The `Cluster B` troup are extreme thinkers as we have established,and when one is lowering their boundries in attempt to bond and trust another,there is too much to lose for an already disordered individual. A method of defense will certainly be inaugerated-even if it is dysfunctional and detrimental in the end,the goal is instant self preservation. For many suffering with personality disorders, planning for the long term and anticipating consequences is simply not part of their mental processing.

When someone is being idealized, the disordered person sees them in an overall positive manner,a savior and someone which to channel their dreams and unrealistic fantasies. Flaws are overlooked at first,which is unrealistic.
Along the way the disordered individual must realise the truth;the person that they have bestowed to a knighthood is failing them. As dissapointment creeps about and reality becomes clear one is forced to see that the intimate is human and perhaps does not have the capacity to fulfill their every dream and ever changing whims.
Instead of accepting the realization and still having the tools to persue the relationship after the `honeymoon phase` wears off, the disordered individual usually responds to this by hurting the other,villainizing the other for distroying his chance at happiness,or walking away from the relationship and repressing or dimishing any ties to the former intimate.

To wrap up;
Black and White thinking causes conflict and impairment in relationships,it is not a flexible mental framework as it is established in early stages of child development.
Thus ,Black and White thinking is characteristic of children,but early childhood events which are traumatic or somehow instigators in altering a child`s state of mind or `christalizing it`may lead to problematic coping mechanisms in adults.