When you hear the word ‘depression,’ what thoughts come to your mind? Do you think depression is overrated? Does depression really exist, or are we interpreting overwhelming emotions as depression? 

So, why do we talk of depression these days? Well, it’s probably because at some point, during the pandemic, all of us have felt lonely and depressive thoughts overshadowed most other emotions. The uncertainty caused by the pandemic has shaken up all of us. Coronavirus has definitely negatively impacted many individuals irrespective of their nationality, color, and financial situation. 

Let’s look into the Theory of Depression to understand it a little better.

When we are happy, we tend to smile at the smallest of things. It is a proven fact that if we smile often, we become happier. The same rule is applicable in the case of “depression,” too.  When someone is depressed,  they are bombarded with negative thoughts. Similarly, being negative persistently can make an individual depressed.

The theory of depression hypothesized by Aaron.T. Beck, the pioneer of Cognitive Therapies, states that 

“The Cognitive symptoms of depression precede the mood fluctuations rather than vice versa.”

The dysfunctional beliefs or depressogenic schemas are activated while facing adversity and lead to depression. For example, if an individual believes that he or she is a failure, that thought can make him or her feel depressed.

Schemas are the Cognitive structures we hold deep inside us as a belief or opinion. Individuals who are prone to depression develop negative schemas. Many proclaim themselves as “unlucky” or “unlovable” because of these negative schemas.

The Cognitive Triad

The ‘negative automatic thoughts’ created by stressors of life change the thinking patterns and lead a person to pessimistic predictions. Aaron Beck explains the three themes of such pessimistic predictions as ‘negative cognitive triads’ -the negative beliefs about the self, about the world around oneself, and about the uncertain future.

The early life experiences of a person can lead to dysfunctional or negative assumptions and schemas. People with negative self-schemas or negative beliefs about others tend to make logical errors in their information processing and thinking. Albert Ellis, the founder of REBT (Rational emotive behavior therapy), emphasizes the importance of rational thinking and Cognitive reconstruction.

So, what are these cognitive distortions which make us feel sad or depressed by reducing self-esteem to a great extent??

Cognitive distortions are those irrational beliefs that make one drift away from the reality of the situation. Let’s look into some of the distortions:

• Insults Vs. Compliments

Human minds tend to remember negative events more than happier ones. When we think of a person, we remember the painful incidents with him or her better. We forget the debts we have to pay but remember the credits without fail. Such thinking is because of the ‘tunnel vision’ we develop during the growth years where we focus only on the negative aspects of the situation by deleting or minimizing the positive aspects.  For example, a man becomes violent whenever he feels his opinions are not taken into consideration.

• Feeling helpless

 According to The Theory of Learned Helplessness by Martin Seligman, depression occurs when a person learns that they cannot escape negative situations.  All of us feel sorry for ourselves at some or other point in time. But staying trapped in a victim mentality and indulging in self-loathing is harmful and affects the judgments.  Learned helplessness forces individuals to demand pity, sympathy, or understating of others persistently. They become the slaves of past bad experiences or events and indulge in constant self -pity, and resist change.

• Life is not fair

Many of us complain about the unjust world around us. Sometimes it is true that we do not deserve the hardships which life throws at us. The fallacy of fairness, such as’ not wealthy enough’  ‘not privileged’ ‘not tall enough’ ‘ not born in a good family’ etc., can be never-ending. This inaccurate perception that life is not fair creates resentment or anger and develops a negative outlook on life.  Fairness is highly subjective, and every person has their own point of view about how they should be treated.

• Dichotomous thinking

Some people follow black and white thinking patterns. That is, either they are perfect and superior, or they are failures and inferior in everything they do, whatever it may be. There is no middle ground or shades in between but only two poles or categories. They tend to ignore the nuances by either idealizing or devaluing others or situations. For example: “my friend is an angel” or “ my friend is an evil.” 

• Negative interpretations & conclusions

Arbitrary inference makes a person feel depressed even if the evidence suggests contradiction. Insufficiency of real evidence/s to support this type of cognitive distortion often leads to erroneous conclusions. It occurs when we try to do ‘mind-reading’ about what others might be thinking. For example, “she did not smile because she was upset with me”.  Another type of arbitrary inference is when one unrealistically anticipates or predicts a bad thing to happen. It is called a fortune-teller error. For example, some people believe that ‘happiness will not sustain with me; sorrow will follow me eventually.’

• Minimization and Magnification

Opposite to catastrophizing, minimization is when someone labels themselves negatively. It is a conscious way of playing down the self positive attributes to idealize someone else by comparing and diminishing the self-worth. This type of cognitive thinking where one devalues oneself makes them susceptible to being abused and ill-treatment.  

Magnification is the process of blowing smaller things out of proportion by assuming horrendous outcomes and conclusions. An example of exaggeration is failing in an examination and thinking that is the end of one’s life.

• Personalization:

Personalization is a faulty pattern of thinking by making everything connected to personal relevance. The random comments or opinions of others are taken personally and considered towards self. Comparison with others leads them to feel envious, targeted, or threatened. Also, they tend to feel responsible for any unfortunate events even though not directly involved in them. Someone thinking that their parents are not rich because they have been unlucky for the parents is an example of personalization. 

• Game of blames:

Some people blame others for everything instead of taking responsibility and changing their shortcomings. For example, Someone who doesn’t know how to cook quickly blames their mother, saying, “My mom didn’t teach me cooking, so I can’t cook.” They find it easier to project their problems on others because it relieves and satisfies their false ego. Whether one feels superior or victim, by blaming others, they are boosting their low self-esteem for some time and exhibiting irresponsibility. 

Cognitive distortions are not insurmountable problems but affect the comportment of a person.  What we think influences how we feel, which affects the reactions towards the environment. This shows us that cognitions, emotions, and behaviors are interlinked and should always be in equilibrium.

Altering distortions in thinking can help us to improve how we feel, behave, and live.  So take a pause and think about what you think because it will affect your moods and reactions!!

Written by Habeeba Waseem. Content Developer and Writer @mindsonfleek