People who think in black and white tend to make absolute judgements. For instance, you can believe that you are either the world's greatest success or the one who is always correct. Because it prevents you from perceiving life as it actually is—complex, unpredictable, and continuously changing—psychologists classify this mode of thinking as a cognitive distortion.

Black and white thinking prevents you from finding the middle ground, which may be difficult to maintain in reality when things are so severe. We may avoid using "all or nothing" assertions to depress ourselves without checking to see whether they are accurate by letting our thinking become less rigid. You may catch yourself doing it and question your misleading impressions by using this "cognitive" strategy.

People who suffer with black-and-white thinking and its implications on mood and behaviour may find it helpful to seek Online counselling. Individuals can acquire techniques to confront and improve their cognitive distortions, such as black and white thinking, by consulting with a mental health expert online. In order to manage these mental patterns, Online counselling can offer a practical and accessible method of assistance and direction.

What is black and white thinking?

When you categorise people, objects, and behaviours into either "good" or "bad" categories, you are using dichotomous thinking, commonly referred to as black-and-white thinking. Black-and-white thinking, often known as "splitting," is one of a class of thought processes known as cognitive distortions.

Black-and-white thinking is usually present in people who have maladaptive tendencies, such as:

• Psychopathy

• Eating disorders

• Aggressiveness

It happens to everyone occasionally. A person may look flawless to you when you are in love with them, for instance. If you and someone else had a quarrel, you might only think negatively of them thereafter. If you can only perceive individuals as either fully good or entirely bad, you might not be able to see the positive things the "bad" person does or the terrible things the "good" person does.

You could be less likely to try new things if there's a risk you might fail if you view every endeavour you do as either a full success or a complete disaster. Any deviation from pure perfection can, in your eyes, be equivalent to a total failure.

It can be difficult to transcend black-and-white thinking, so it may be good to get help from a mental health expert, such as an Online counsellor. An Online counsellor can offer direction and assistance in spotting and questioning binary thought patterns, as well as in establishing more flexible ways of thinking and handling stressful circumstances.

Signs and symptoms of black and white thinking

• I'll explain everything in extreme terms: always and never, successful and unsuccessful, simple and unattainable.

• Perfectionism: You may believe that something must be done perfectly or you should not even try.

• You could assume someone can only be one of two things if you can't perceive either their positive or bad qualities.

• Negative self-talk: Since it's quite rare to perform everything properly all the time, if you're thinking in black-or-white terms, you can refer to yourself as worthless or a failure.

• Fear of doing anything new: If the only outcomes you can envisage are complete success or utter failure, you will do all in your power to avoid the latter outcome, even if it involves refraining from acting on a particular activity.

Causes of black and white thinking

While it's common to occasionally have black-and-white thinking, if it persists it may indicate a more significant problem. The following conditions are frequently linked to all or nothing thinking:

• Narcissism: A distorted, inordinate interest in oneself is narcissism. This personality condition may be characterised by black-and-white thinking. Because they rapidly discount doctors and therapists, people with it frequently find it difficult to obtain treatment.

• melancholy and worry: Absolute thinking is frequently a symptom of anxiety and sadness. Black and white thinking can get worse when emotions get more severe.

• Borderline personality syndrome: People who suffer from borderline personality disorder frequently feel extremely angry, anxious, and depressed. They usually show signs of poor impulse control and frequently think in black and white terms.

• Disorder of obsession and compulsivity: People with obsessive-compulsive disorder frequently think in absolutes because doing so offers them a sense of security and control. This might result in a lot of rigidity, which makes change challenging.

• Black and White Thinking's Effect: The causes of black and white thinking can have a huge impact on how your mental health is affected.

Impact of black and white thinking

Relationships. Extreme, binary thinking can lead to erroneous assumptions about other people and the loss of opportunity for negotiation and compromise. This is especially true when dealing with disputes that arise in regular relationships. Some instances include:

• Transforming individuals overnight from the "good person" category to the "bad person" category

• Leaving a job or dismissing employees

• severing a connection

• avoiding a genuine settlement to the problems

Learning. Pass or fail are frequently used as the only performance indicators in education. Due to the lack of a medium ground, pupils may come to feel that they are either good or awful at school. Students can better understand the significance of incremental advancement as they approach the objective of topic mastery by adopting a growth mindset.

Career. Thinking in black and white might occasionally make you overly stiff. In workplaces with high levels of teamwork and idea exchange, this way of thinking can be problematic.

Diet. Extreme diet restrictions and difficulty attempting new foods might result from thinking about your diet in this way. Your mental health might suffer if you start to assume that there are only good and bad things about the way you look and how you feel physically.