maladaptive thinking

psychology

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July 16, 2026

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Maladaptive thinking refers to faulty or irrational beliefs that contribute to and maintain emotional problems. This type of thinking can lead individuals to interpret situations as worse than they are, generalize from single negative experiences, or engage in "catastrophizing".12

Cognitive psychotherapy, often used in conjunction with behavioral techniques, aims to identify these maladaptive thoughts and replace them with more realistic and adaptive ones. This approach is particularly effective in treating conditions like depression and anxiety. While mild forms of maladaptive thinking, such as seeing patterns in random data (apophenia), are common and may not require treatment, excessive or delusional instances can necessitate professional intervention, including cognitive behavioral therapy.213

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mental disorder
Cognitive psychotherapy
…based on the premise that maladaptive thinking causes and maintains emotional problems. Maladaptive thinking may refer to a belief that is false and rationally unsupported—what Ellis called an “irrational belief.” An example of such a belief is that one must be loved and approved of by everyone in order to…
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…based on the premise that maladaptive thinking causes and maintains emotional problems. Maladaptive thinking may refer to a belief that is false and rationally unsupported—what Ellis called an “irrational belief.” An example of such a belief is that one must be loved and approved of by everyone in order to…
Read More