Cognitive Distortion #6: Magnification/Minimization
Here we have another set of evil twins.1
Magnification exaggerates the importance of our mistakes and faults. It’s like we are viewing them through a microscope – problems that are actually microscopically small suddenly appear monstrously large.
Minimization, on the other hand, is like looking through a telescope and believing that a planet or star is actually a small speck in the sky rather than several hundred or thousand times bigger than our own humble planet. Likewise, we downplay our own positive qualities or positive events so that they appear smaller and less significant than they actually are. This leads to a poor sense of self-worth.
Dr. Neil Nedley refers to these twin distortions as “majoring in minors and minoring in majors.”2
Do you have the Magnification distortion?
Dr. Lynn Clark associates distorted thinking with three “musts:”3
- “I must…” (e.g. “always play the piano perfectly” or “cook every meal perfectly”)
- “You-he-she must…” (e.g. “always treat me fairly” or “do your chores on time and with perfect precision”)
- “The world and conditions in which I live must…” (e.g. “always be fair”)
Have you ever thought in these terms before?
Directing “must” or “should” statements toward ourselves can create shame, guilt, and self-loathing.
Directing them toward others can generate feelings of bitterness and self-righteousness.
Thinking in such rigid terms will certainly lead to failed expectations and result in frustration, anger, anxiety, and depression.
What is the solution for the Magnification distortion?
As with all other distortions, the first step is to increase your awareness by recording your thoughts for several days or weeks. Trust me, this is key. The more aware you are, the faster you will resolve each type of distortion you have.
Dr. David Burns provides several techniques to stop flagellating ourselves with “I must” or “I should” statements.4 A few include:
- asking, “Who says I must or should do this?” Many of our “musts” are arbitrary. If they don’t work in real life, we can change them or drop them altogether.
- asking, “What are the advantages and disadvantages of believing that I must always do this?” If the cost-benefit analysis does not make sense, change or drop the expectation.
- substituting less maximizing words for our “musts.” Instead of saying “I must always play the piano perfectly,” you or I can say “I would like to always play the piano perfectly.”
The same techniques can work when we are directing our “musts” toward others. Simply rephrasing our words can take a lot of pressure off of ourselves and others.
Try the following substitutions:5
Do you have the Minimization distortion?
Do you constantly criticize yourself and talk down your accomplishments?
Do you feel you are a failure, a loser, or worthless?
If so, you have the minimization distortion – and the person you are minimizing is yourself. But remember that those who fail to love themselves also have a hard time loving others, so this distortion can also lead to wider, interpersonal problems.
What is the solution for the Minimization distortion?
Some make a careful distinction between the following terms:
- self-esteem, which can be nothing more than pride in oneself and one’s accomplishments compared to others;
- self-respect, which means liking and taking care of oneself regardless of external successes or failures; and
- self-worth, which is the inherent value of each human being.6
The most important terms are self-respect and self-worth, which do not rely on our intelligence, talents, looks, or accomplishments. This does not mean that accomplishments and merits are bad, but simply that we do not derive our inherent value from them.
Dr. David Burns described four separate paths to “self-esteem” in his 1981 book Feeling Good.7 But I think what he meant was “self-worth.”
Path #1: Self-worth is a human abstraction with no units of measurement.
We can throw out the idea altogether, Burns says, because it is meaningless and therefore not important.
I’m frankly not sure I buy this idea, but I do agree with some of the secondary points he makes afterward. For example, he says that striving for increased self-worth is not really the point of life. Rather, it is striving for “satisfaction, pleasure, learning, mastery, personal growth and communication….and [setting] realistic goals and [working] toward them.”8
There is a lot of truth in this. Those who are always “searching” for happiness may find that it eludes them, while those who search for meaning and purpose often find happiness thrown in.
Path #2: Each person has the same ultimate worth.
The second path makes more sense to me, as a believer in a God who created us and loves us in a personal way.
It is to believe that each person has the same, pre-defined unit of self-worth from birth to death. We did nothing to earn this worth and therefore can do nothing to lose it.
Burns wrote, “Since you can’t measure it or change it, there is no point in dealing with it or being concerned about it. Leave that up to God.”9
Path #3: Nothing can damage your self-worth.
The third path is to recognize that nothing can harm our self-worth except our own distorted, negative thoughts.
Path #4: Treat yourself like a beloved friend.
The fourth path is to view self-worth as a decision to treat yourself like a beloved friend. Burns wrote,
This attitude of self-esteem will be an assertion you make, based on a full awareness and acceptance of your strengths and imperfections. You will fully acknowledge your positive attributes without false humility or a sense of superiority, and will freely admit to all your errors and inadequacies without any sense of inferiority or self-deprecation whatever. This attitude embodies the essence of self-love and self-respect. It does not have to be earned, and it cannot be earned in any way.”10
These seem to be common-sense approaches to correcting minimization errors and building a healthy sense of self-worth.
Conclusion & Action Steps
Exaggerating faults and/or demeaning virtues is a distorted, even dishonest way of viewing ourselves and others. As first steps, consider doing the following:
- Review the “No More Musts” list above. Do you see any of these phrases appearing regularly in your thought journal? Choose three phrases that you know you use regularly and replace them with their more positive counterpart every day for the next two weeks.
- Choose one or more of the four paths of self-worth above. Write them down where you will see them regularly (on your phone, tablet, or post-it note) to ensure that you are learning how to value yourself.
- Read the next part of this 101 series. Or you can read the previous part. Or you can start from the beginning.
1 Burns, D. D. (1981). Feeling good. Signet Book. p.37-38.
2 Nedley, N. A. (2011). The lost art of thinking: How to improve emotional intelligence and achieve peak mental performance. Oklahoma: Nedley Publishing. p.85.
3 Clark, L. (2002). SOS Help for Emotions: Managing Anxiety, Anger, and Depression. Bowling Green: SOS Parents and Programs Press. p.40.
4 Burns, D. D. (1981). Feeling good. Signet Book. pp.208-210.
5 Nedley, N. A. (2011). The lost art of thinking: How to improve emotional intelligence and achieve peak mental performance. Oklahoma: Nedley Publishing. p.89.
6 Nedley, N. A. (2011). The lost art of thinking: How to improve emotional intelligence and achieve peak mental performance. Oklahoma: Nedley Publishing. p.96.
7 Burns, D. D. (1981). Feeling good. Signet Book. pp.341-345.
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Dr. Pamela Coburn-Litvak has published research articles on exercise and stress in Neuroscience and Neurobiology of Learning and Behavior. Her latest book, Leaving the Shadowland of Stress, Anxiety, and Depression, was published in 2020.
After receiving a Ph.D. in Neurobiology and Behavior from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, she served as both Assistant Professor of Physiology & Pharmacology and Special Assistant to the Vice President for Research Affairs at Loma Linda University in Loma Linda, California. She then joined the Biology department at Andrews University and developed courses in human physiology as well as the neurobiology of mental illness. She also founded Rock @ Science LLC, a company that specializes in health and science education and web development. She co-developed the brain and body physiology segment of the Stress: Beyond Coping seminar with its creator, Dr. William “Skip” MacCarty, DMin.
Dr. Coburn-Litvak currently lives in California with her husband. Their two daughters are mostly grown and attending school elsewhere.
When she’s not studying or teaching about stress, she enjoys stress-relieving activities like puttering around the garden, taking nature walks with her family, knitting, cooking, and reading.
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