On Par
- Using Cognitive Behaviour Therapy to Improve
Your Mental Game (Part Two -Thinking Errors)
By Johnny Ong, NSRCC Member
Identification and Correction of Thinking Errors
C
BT seeks to help clients develop self-
awareness of how dysfunctional thinking
and behaviours lead to emotional distress.
It stresses the need to become aware of the biases
in our thinking, which are referred to as `thinking
errors’ or cognitive distortions. Unconsciously,
we may have developed these patterns, making
us `trapped’ in assessing certain situations. We
may not interpret these accurately.
Listed here are some common thinking errors as
well as simple strategies for avoiding these.
Thinking Error Explanation Example Alternative View
All or Nothing Thinking Seeing things in black or white
categories. This is extreme
thinking, with nothing in
between. “If I can’t do it
perfectly, I’m a
failure.” “I can’t expect to make a
perfect shot all the time.”
Catastrophizing Exaggerating the impact or
significance of an event or
situation; difficulty in appraising
a situation realistically. It’s about
blowing things out of proportion. “I have messed
up my
game. No way I
can recover!” “Yes, seems like I’ve
messed up. But I can
still give it a fight.”
Magnification/Minimization Ignoring the good things that
are happening to you, focusing
only on the negative details. “My putting is
disastrous!” “Though the putting has
been off the mark, all
my other shots have
been good.”
‘Should’ and `Must’
Statements Making rules about how you
and others are to behave and
getting upset when your rules
are broken. “People should
behave nicely on
the golf course.” “I cannot expect
everyone to behave in a
certain way.”
Emotional Reasoning Using our emotions as a guide
to reflect the way things really
are. The cure is to be aware
that our emotions may not
necessarily represent reality. “Things are going
to be tricky; that
explains why I am
so anxious.” “Maybe I didn’t have
enough sleep, that’s
why I’m feeling anxious.
I shouldn’t let emotions
get the better of me.”
Mind Reading You assume that you know what
others are thinking, without
actually considering that there
could be other possibilities. “I’m sure they
think I can’t reach
the green.” “I will just play my
game. I have no way of
knowing what another
person is thinking.”
14 RESORT VIEW