A story from Distortion Detective
Kayla: focusing on the mistakes when she scored an A
Kayla gets her essay back with a 94 at the top. Next to the grade, her teacher wrote "Strong argument, really clear voice." She also circled three things: two missing commas and one sentence marked "rephrase." Kayla reads the circled parts over and over. When her friend says, "A 94? That's amazing," Kayla says, "It wasn't that good. There are so many red marks."
“I should've gotten a 100. I always make mistakes. My essay wasn't that good because the teacher corrected it. Other students do better than me. Even when I try my hardest, it's never enough. Why can't I do anything right?”
In the game
Which thinking trap caught Kayla? Name the trap, then check whether the thought holds up.
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About Distortion Detective
Noticing a thought like "Nobody likes me" or "I always mess up." Naming the trap behind it, then checking whether the thought holds up.
Helpful for: negative self-talk, assuming the worst, black-and-white thinking, jumping to conclusions. More in the glossary
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