Thinking trap
Labelling: what it is, with everyday examples
- Labelling
- A label for the whole person instead of one thing they did.
A single action becomes an identity: you made a mistake, so you are “an idiot”; someone was late, so they are “selfish”. One word replaces a whole, mixed person.
Everyday examples
- About yourself
“I'm a loser.”
- At work
“I forgot the meeting. I'm useless.”
- Others
“She cancelled again. She's so selfish.”
Questions to check the thought
From the Socratic questions in ThinkGO. Pick one or two; you don’t need all of them.
- If a friend had this thought, what would you tell them?
- Is this a fact, or a thought that feels like one?
- What points to this thought being true? What points the other way?
A fairer alternative
The trap
“I forgot the meeting. I'm useless.”
A fairer thought
“I forgot one meeting. I'll set a reminder and apologise. It doesn't sum me up.”
Exercises that help
Related thinking traps
Sources
- Beck, A. T. (1976). Cognitive Therapy and the Emotional Disorders. International Universities Press.
- Burns, D. D. (1980). Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy. William Morrow.
Background reading. The definitions, examples and questions on this page are our own wording.