Catastrophizing: Cognitive Distortion – Absurdly Useful Resources
Absurdly Useful.

Cognitive distortion

Catastrophizing

Turning a possible problem into the worst possible outcome.

Classic tell: If I make a mistake in this meeting, I will lose the client, my career, my house, and possibly my will to own pants.

Back to the guide

Further explanation

What is happening underneath?

Turning a possible problem into the worst possible outcome.

A real or possible problem gets inflated into total collapse. The fire drill becomes a five-season disaster series.

01

What it sounds like

  • If I make a mistake in this meeting, I will lose the client, my career, my house, and possibly my will to own pants.
  • "If I make one mistake in the presentation, the client will leave and my business will implode." Bold of one slide typo to wield that much power.
02

How to tell

  • The thought escalates quickly from problem to ruin.
03

Why people use it

  • The brain tries to prepare for pain by previewing the worst possible version of it.
04

How to respond

  • Ask: "If the bad thing happened, what would I actually do next?"

Manipulation watch

How this gets used on people.

  • Ads and politics use catastrophe to create urgency: your body, kids, money, country, or future is allegedly one purchase or vote from disaster.