“I feel like abad friend,therefore Imust be abad friend.” anexample ofemotionalreasoning."I'm a goodperson, so badthings shouldn'thappen to me."anexampleof magicalthinkingMagnification Exaggeratingtheimportance ofevents.“ I just knowI’m not goingto make theteam.”anexampleof fortunetellingMindreadingInterpreting thethoughts andbeliefs of otherswithoutadequateevidence."Allpeoplewho____are____."an example ofovergeneralization"I bet he saidthat just tomake memad."an example ofpersonalization"I wasawkwardyesterday. I'malways soawkward!"example ofemotionalreasoning &overgeneralizationAll ornothingthinkingThinking inextremes. It’seither all good orit’s all bad. Usingwords like“always” & “never”"My dad isn'tanswering thephone. I bethe's been inan accident."an example ofcatastrophizing"what I didwas nobig deal."an exampleminimization“I need tolook cool infront of myclassmates.” anexample ofa shouldstatementFree!"I bet shehatesme."anexampleof mindreadingCatastrophizing Seeing onlythe worstpossibleoutcomes ofa situation.Fortune-telling The expectationthat a situation willturn out badlywithout adequateevidence. Emotionalreasoning Theassumption thatemotions reflectthe way thingsreally are.Shouldstatements The belief thatthings ought tobe a certain way.Pressure we puton ourselves. “My mom isalways upset.She would befine if I didmore to helpher.”an example ofpersonalizationMagicalthinkingThe belief thatour choiceswill influenceunrelatedsituations. “ This isthe worstmistakeever.”an exampleofmagnificationPersonalizationThe belief thatone isresponsible forevents outsidetheir owncontrol.OvergeneralizationMaking broadinterpretationsfrom a singleor few events.MinimizationDownplayingtheimportanceof events.Disqualifyingthe positive Recognizing onlythe negativeaspects of thesituation whileignoring thepositive.“I feel like abad friend,therefore Imust be abad friend.” anexample ofemotionalreasoning."I'm a goodperson, so badthings shouldn'thappen to me."anexampleof magicalthinkingMagnification Exaggeratingtheimportance ofevents.“ I just knowI’m not goingto make theteam.”anexampleof fortunetellingMindreadingInterpreting thethoughts andbeliefs of otherswithoutadequateevidence."Allpeoplewho____are____."an example ofovergeneralization"I bet he saidthat just tomake memad."an example ofpersonalization"I wasawkwardyesterday. I'malways soawkward!"example ofemotionalreasoning &overgeneralizationAll ornothingthinkingThinking inextremes. It’seither all good orit’s all bad. Usingwords like“always” & “never”"My dad isn'tanswering thephone. I bethe's been inan accident."an example ofcatastrophizing"what I didwas nobig deal."an exampleminimization“I need tolook cool infront of myclassmates.” anexample ofa shouldstatementFree!"I bet shehatesme."anexampleof mindreadingCatastrophizing Seeing onlythe worstpossibleoutcomes ofa situation.Fortune-telling The expectationthat a situation willturn out badlywithout adequateevidence. Emotionalreasoning Theassumption thatemotions reflectthe way thingsreally are.Shouldstatements The belief thatthings ought tobe a certain way.Pressure we puton ourselves. “My mom isalways upset.She would befine if I didmore to helpher.”an example ofpersonalizationMagicalthinkingThe belief thatour choiceswill influenceunrelatedsituations. “ This isthe worstmistakeever.”an exampleofmagnificationPersonalizationThe belief thatone isresponsible forevents outsidetheir owncontrol.OvergeneralizationMaking broadinterpretationsfrom a singleor few events.MinimizationDownplayingtheimportanceof events.Disqualifyingthe positive Recognizing onlythe negativeaspects of thesituation whileignoring thepositive.

12 Common Thinking Errors - Call List

(Print) Use this randomly generated list as your call list when playing the game. There is no need to say the BINGO column name. Place some kind of mark (like an X, a checkmark, a dot, tally mark, etc) on each cell as you announce it, to keep track. You can also cut out each item, place them in a bag and pull words from the bag.


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  1. an example of emotional reasoning.
    “I feel like a bad friend, therefore I must be a bad friend.”
  2. an example of magical thinking
    "I'm a good person, so bad things shouldn't happen to me."
  3. Exaggerating the importance of events.
    Magnification
  4. an example of fortune telling
    “ I just know I’m not going to make the team.”
  5. Interpreting the thoughts and beliefs of others without adequate evidence.
    Mind reading
  6. an example of overgeneralization
    "All people who____ are____."
  7. an example of personalization
    "I bet he said that just to make me mad."
  8. example of emotional reasoning & overgeneralization
    "I was awkward yesterday. I'm always so awkward!"
  9. Thinking in extremes. It’s either all good or it’s all bad. Using words like “always” & “never”
    All or nothing thinking
  10. an example of catastrophizing
    "My dad isn't answering the phone. I bet he's been in an accident."
  11. an example minimization
    "what I did was no big deal."
  12. an example of a should statement
    “I need to look cool in front of my classmates.”
  13. Free!
  14. an example of mind reading
    "I bet she hates me."
  15. Seeing only the worst possible outcomes of a situation.
    Catastrophizing
  16. The expectation that a situation will turn out badly without adequate evidence.
    Fortune-telling
  17. The assumption that emotions reflect the way things really are.
    Emotional reasoning
  18. The belief that things ought to be a certain way. Pressure we put on ourselves.
    Should statements
  19. an example of personalization
    “My mom is always upset. She would be fine if I did more to help her.”
  20. The belief that our choices will influence unrelated situations.
    Magical thinking
  21. an example of magnification
    “ This is the worst mistake ever.”
  22. The belief that one is responsible for events outside their own control.
    Personalization
  23. Making broad interpretations from a single or few events.
    Overgeneralization
  24. Downplaying the importance of events.
    Minimization
  25. Recognizing only the negative aspects of the situation while ignoring the positive.
    Disqualifying the positive