Overgeneralization: Spot It, Stop It, Change It

Overgeneralization is a common cognitive distortion that impacts how we think, feel, and interact with the world. Often triggered by limited or isolated experiences, overgeneralization leads us to create sweeping beliefs about ourselves, others, or future events that are far from accurate.

This distorted thought pattern negatively impacts mental health and well-being. It gets in the way of relationship and career success. It fuels fears that drive anxiety and perpetuates stereotypes that generate prejudice. In research and other fields, it leads to undeserved broad conclusions that warp findings and policies. 

In this post, I’ll explore the concept of overgeneralization in-depth, examine its effects across different areas of life, and provide strategies and resources to help you break free from its limiting grasp.

Let’s get started!

What's in This Post

Overgeneralization Definition and Meaning

Let's start with the answer to the question, What is overgeneralization?

Overgeneralization is a thinking error that involves making undeserved sweeping conclusions.

Dictionary.com uses this definition:

"Overgeneralization is the act of drawing conclusions that are too broad because they exceed what could be logically concluded from the available information."

In psychology, we talk about overgeneralization cognitive distortion. Other fields use labels like overgeneralization fallacy, sweeping generalization fallacy, and hasty generalization fallacy. 

Overgeneralization is Exaggeration

Exaggeration is a key feature of overgeneralized distorted thoughts and conclusions.

Here are some examples: 

• Traits of a few members of a group get exaggerated into covering all members of the group

• A single event gets exaggerated into defining all similar future events.

• A response you received once, or a few times gets exaggerated into an expectation that you always will get that response.

• Findings from a limited study are exaggerated into broad claims about the effectiveness of a program.

Notice that "a few" or "one" becomes "all", "once" or "a few times" becomes "always will", and limited samplings get applied broadly. 

What is Overgeneralization Cognitive Distortion in Psychology?

Overgeneralization is one of a dozen or so cognitive distortions first defined by pioneers in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), particularly Dr. Aaron Beck, in the 1960s. Helping people recognize and overcome cognitive distortions remains an important component of CBT theory and practice. 

Cognitive distortions are faulty thinking patterns that skew how you perceive yourself, people, places, and things. All-or-nothing thinking, catastrophizing, and mental filtering are a few of the other cognitive distortions you may have heard of.

With the overgeneralization distortion, there is a kernel of truth to a thought, but it gets exaggerated to cover too many circumstances.

These distorted thoughts often solidify into conscious or subconscious core beliefs that shape how you see yourself and the world around you.

They undermine self-esteem, relationship success, and personal achievement. They drive anxiety, phobias, and hopelessness.

The good news is that you can learn to spot these negative thinking patterns, stop them in their tracks, and change your thoughts and beliefs to something more reality-based and helpful. 

The Trap of Absolutes: How 'Always' and 'Never' Twist Reality

Overgeneralizations often include spoken or unspoken absolutes like always, never, all, or none.

Absolutes are almost always wrong. (I'm not willing to say they are "always wrong" since that would be an absolute.) 

When absolutes are connected to things that don't warrant them, they make those things seem or appear

• more significant,
• more unchangeable,
• more extreme,
• more definitive,
• more inevitable,
• more dramatic,
• more widespread, 
• more unyielding, and 
• more awful than they are.

Covert Absolutes

Sometimes absolutes are present in a thought but aren't stated directly. Sometimes they are more covert.

For example, the big feelings behind "My partner doesn't care about me" may really be sparked and sustained by an unspoken "at all." The full thought may be, "My partner doesn't care about me at all." 

Examples of Overgeneralization Cognitive Distortion and Their Kernel of Truth

Here are some overgeneralization/kernel of truth pairings to help you see more clearly how these distorted beliefs get created. 

1. Overgeneralized fear:

2. “I’m awful” belief:

• The overgeneralized belief: I never do anything right.
• The kernel of truth: I sometimes make mistakes.

3. Prejudiced belief:

• The overgeneralized belief: Boomers are terrible at using technology.
• The kernel of truth: Some (maybe even many) boomers are terrible at using technology.

Notice that 1 and 2 include stated absolutes: "all" and "never." The third example doesn't verbalize the absolute, but it is there in the belief. The covert absolute behind the stated belief is "All boomers are terrible at using technology" or "All boomers are absolutely terrible at using any technology."

What is The Overgeneralization Fallacy?

While overgeneralization cognitive distortion is a descriptive term used in psychology, the concept is discussed in several other fields as a topic of concern. In those other arenas it is more likely to be labelled overgeneralization fallacy.

Sweeping generalization fallacy and hasty generalization fallacy are variations on this theme.

The fact that so many professions focus on the subject of overgeneralization highlights just how common and destructive these thought patterns are.

As you read through the examples below, does it bring to mind overgeneralizations you’ve made or witnessed? Do you see their potential negative impact?

Logic and Philosophy

In the logic and philosophy fields, the overgeneralization fallacy refers to drawing broad conclusions based on insufficient evidence or examples. They highlight the importance of sound reasoning and the dangers of making sweeping statements without adequate support.

Philosopher, author, and educator Peg Tittle talked about the pitfalls of overgeneralization in her book, Critical Thinking: An Appeal to Reason. I find her explanations insightful. They expand understanding about sources of overgeneralization and potentially make them easier to spot. I layout her framework in the Overgeneralization in Focus: Three Common Categories for These Distortions section later in this post.

Sociology

Researchers often discuss this thinking error when analyzing societal trends or behaviors. Stereotypes or broad assumptions about groups can lead to misunderstandings and misguided social policies.

Medicine 

Overgeneralized medicine would accept studies that involve too few subjects, too short of a time span, or insufficient markers of success as convincing proof that a treatment works. Practitioners need to be on the lookout for such manipulations of data by pharmaceutical companies and other self-motivated entities.

It took me four years to research, write, and publish my book Feed Your Calm: Anti-Anxiety Anti-Stress Diet and Supplement Tips for Stress Resilience because I wanted everything to be based on quality research. My medical lab technology training (Med Lab Tech was my first career) helped me examine journal articles for details about their procedures and conclusions, but it was a time-consuming process. 

Understanding the overgeneralization fallacy in various contexts can help you sort information and make sound decisions.

Overgeneralization in Focus: Three Common Categories for These Distortions

Overgeneralization can show up in a variety of ways, impacting how you perceive situations and form beliefs.

Peg Tittle proposed that overgeneralizations fall into 3 categories.

1. Scope
2. Frequency
3. Certainty

Each category of overgeneralization offers a signpost for catching these cognitive missteps. 

Here are Tittle's key forms of overgeneralization:

1. Scope: From Singular to Plural

In this category, a specific experience creates a belief that applies to most or all things that have some similarity.

Example: Someone has a negative experience with a dog and concludes that "all dogs are dangerous."

The expansion of scope leads to irrational fears that prevent them from recognizing the diversity and variability within a group. By failing to acknowledge that not all dogs share the same temperament, they limit their experiences and interactions.

2. Frequency: From Rare to Common

In this category, a few isolated experiences lead someone to believe they happen most or all of the time. The jump in perceived frequency makes things appear and feel worse than they are.

Example: Your partner is late once a month, but you see them as late all the time.

“All the time” feels much worse than “sometimes.” A person who is late all the time has a potential character flaw or poor priorities. On the other hand, being late sometimes is unavoidable.

3. Certainty: From Possibility to Probability

Here, overgeneralization shifts a risk or possibility into a "for sure" belief that something will happen.

Example: After experiencing a panic attack in a crowded place, someone starts thinking, "I will definitely have a panic attack if I go to another event like that."

This leap from "could happen" to "will happen" amplifies fear, often causing them to avoid similar situations altogether. It can lead to a cycle where they feel trapped by their perceived inevitability of negative experiences, even though the likelihood may be quite low.

How Confirmation Bias Reinforces Overgeneralized Beliefs

You may be wondering how people get so attached to their prejudices, phobias, and other sweeping generalizations. Why is it so hard for them to break free of their thinking?

Confirmation bias is one of the answers to that question.

Confirmation bias is a psychological premise or concept that says we take in and absorb that which confirms what we already believe to be true and let go of the rest.

It’s like our computer brain has a file for what we already believe, so it has somewhere to put things that fit, but it doesn’t know what to do with information that contradicts those beliefs—so it ignores them.

This unconscious bias plays a significant role in reinforcing overgeneralizations and making it harder to consider alternative perspectives.

Example of Confirmation Bias in Action

When individuals form an overgeneralized belief—such as "all dogs are dangerous" after a negative encounter with a single aggressive dog—they may become hyper-aware of instances that support this belief while disregarding experiences that contradict it.

If they read news stories about dog attacks or hear someone recount a scary encounter with a dog, it reinforces their fear. That same person may dismiss positive interactions with dogs or stories about friendly, well-trained pets, as they do not fit the narrative of their overgeneralized belief.

This selective attention strengthens overgeneralized views, creating a feedback loop that perpetuates their fears.

10 Negative Consequences of Overgeneralization: Assessing the Damage

Overgeneralizations run an inner narrative that drives phobias, anxiety, hopelessness, and low self-esteem. These distorted thoughts mess with your mental health and relationships. They create false limitations, locking you out of seeing broader possibilities and opportunities for growth.

Here’s a list of some of the negative impacts of overgeneralization:

1. Lowers Self-Esteem

Overgeneralized thoughts about personal failures or flaws damage self-esteem and create a fixed, negative self-view.

2. Limits Achievement

When someone believes that failure in one area means failure across the board, they may avoid new challenges or learning experiences, limiting their personal growth. An “I can’t because I haven’t in the past” mindset can prevent them from trying new things. (For more on how important trying is for achievement and inspiring quotes about trying check out this post: Try is Not a 4-Letter Word: Anti-Anxiety Tip #3.)

3. Destroys Motivation

When one becomes all and now becomes forever, a setback destroys motivation and turns the path forward into a dead end.

I see this with clients who are trying to improve their diet, stop an addiction, or reach a desired goal. One slip up leads to the conclusion that the undesired behavior will repeat forever, and they give up trying.

4. Blocks Problem-Solving

It’s difficult to work through problems if overgeneralization is obscuring details about the problem and possible solutions.

5. Fuels Anger

Overgeneralized is so commonly tied to anger that it is one of 5 negative thinking processes tested for in the Angry Cognitions Scale (ACS) first presented in the Journal of Rational-Emotive and Cognitive-Behavior Therapy in 2007 by American professors Ryan Martin and Eric Dahlen. (The test is available for free on the All the Rage website.)

6. Drives Stereotypes and Prejudice

When applied to groups of people, overgeneralization creates and reinforces stereotypes. It leads to biased or unfair judgments about individuals based on limited information, or characteristics of an individual or small subset of the larger group.

7. Distorts Relationships

Overgeneralization can lead to unfair conclusions about partners and relationship potential. A few disagreements signal an overall lack of compatibility or that all future interactions will be negative. A few similar disappointing actions or inactions from your partner get seen as them always letting you down in that way. (I provide more examples later in this post.) 

8. Feeds Depression

Overgeneralization contributes to mental illness in a number of ways. Research shows that the tendency to overgeneralize negative experiences to your entire life or self-worth promotes and perpetuates depressive symptoms.

One study that included over a thousand university students had dramatic results:

“Overgeneralization was a highly significant predictor of depression among both males and females, accounting for 17.5% of the variance in depression overall.”

9. Increases Avoidance Behaviors

Overgeneralized beliefs about danger or discomfort can lead to avoidance behaviors, which can reinforce fears and make everyday activities feel more intimidating.

10. Propels Anxiety

Overgeneralization can amplify fears, turning one or a few negative experiences into a basis for anxiety, nervousness, worry, or panic about similar situations. (More on related research and specific impacts below.)

Each of these impacts can compound over time, creating a cycle that perpetuates stress and hinders health, happiness, and success.

The Role of Fear Generalization in Anxiety Disorders

Fear warns us of danger. It protects us when we feel the amount of fear that is warranted for the situation. But when we fear things that are not actually dangerous, it gets us in trouble.

Overgeneralized fear is so common in anxiety disorders that psychologists have given the phenomenon its own label: fear generalization.

A 2021 article in Biological Psychology explained it this way: 

“A key characteristic of many stress- and anxiety-related disorders is the excessive spreading of fear from genuine threat-related stimuli to similar but innocuous cues, a phenomenon called fear overgeneralization.”
 

In fear generalization, an individual develops a fear response to things that resemble or share characteristics with a previous threat. This occurs when experiences of fear or trauma lead a person to associate similar cues—such as sights, sounds, or situations—with danger, even if they are not inherently harmful.

For instance, if someone has an accident while driving on a busy highway in a snowstorm, they might start to feel anxious not just about driving on that highway when it’s snowing, but also driving in general, being in a car even as a passenger, or hearing wind on a blustery snowy day.

Fear generalization appears to set off anxiety and keep it going.

Researchers have connected fear generalization to:

• General Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
• Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• Social Anxiety Disorder
• Panic attacks
• Phobia

How Negative Overgeneralizations Affect Relationship Dynamics

Ruminating about how ticked we are with our partner is often propelled by overgeneralizations that lead with “he/she/they always” and “he/she/they never.”

• “He never listens to what I’m saying.”
• “She never supports my decisions.”
• “They always find excuses to avoid sex.”

Always and never feel worse than sometimes. When you have these absolute thoughts, check whether always and never really fit. Have you exaggerated the degree or number of occurrences?

Arguments with partners are often peppered with absolutes.

• “You never want to spend time with me.”
• “You always criticize me for everything I do.”
• “You never help with the kids.”

If the statements are a true assessment of what’s going on, then you need to address the issue (tactfully), but if there are exceptions to the always and never, these kinds of statements usually backfire. Chances are, your partner can think of one exception to undermine the accusation and now,— that’s all they’re thinking about.

Check your thoughts for overgeneralizations before you act on them. Avoid speaking in absolutes when you’re trying to resolve a relationship issue.

Strategies for Change: Overcoming Overgeneralization Thought Patterns

Overcoming overgeneralization takes practice and awareness, but with a few targeted strategies, you can start to recognize and challenge these distorted thoughts. Here are practical steps you can use to shift away from overgeneralized thinking and adopt a more balanced outlook.

1. Notice Absolute Language: Pay attention to the use of absolute terms like “always” and “never.” Replace them with more balanced phrases, such as “sometimes” or “occasionally.”

2. Identify Counterexamples: When you catch yourself overgeneralizing, look for instances that contradict your belief. For example, if you think “I never do anything right,” recall specific times when you succeeded.

3. Practice Mindfulness: Mindfulness techniques can help you observe your thoughts without judgment, allowing you to separate facts from exaggerated beliefs.

4. Cognitive Behavioral Techniques: CBT designed the Catch, Check, Change method for reframing distorted thoughts like overgeneralization.

Two of my books, Becoming Calm: Silver Lining Anxiety and Stress Resilience Workbook and Journal and Building Skills to Uplevel Life: Silver Lining Emotional Intelligence Workbook include worksheets with easy-to-follow prompts to help you with this process.

5. Seek Support: Talking to a mental health professional can provide valuable insight and strategies tailored to your situation. If you'd like a free consult to see about us working together, complete the contact form here. 

CBT Interventions for Challenging Overgeneralization and Other Cognitive Distortions

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can help you identify and reframe cognitive distortions.

The Catch, Check, Change cognitive restructuring method encourages you to catch and acknowledge your negative thoughts, check whether they are true, and change them into more helpful statements.

Let’s take a look at the three steps for challenging cognitive distortions, specifically focusing on overgeneralizing.

1. Catch the Distorted Thought

When you notice yourself ruminating on negative thoughts, getting wound up, or spiraling down, stop.

Get clear about the negative statements you are telling yourself.

You may have to calm down before you can focus your mind. These quick grounding techniques may help you do that.

Example Scenario:

You're getting worked up and angry driving on the highway.

You notice this thought sums up your circling angry thoughts: “People are such crappy drivers! They don't watch what they're doing."

2. Check the Evidence For and Against the Thought

After you’ve noticed a potentially overgeneralized thought, the next step is to check how accurate it is.

This means assessing for evidence that supports the negative thought, and also identifying evidence against the thought.

Ask yourself

• Does my thought include absolutes (e.g., always, never, all, none)? If yes, Are they true? How much is it really happening?“

• Am I lumping too many things together?”

• "What’s the evidence that supports, or goes against, my generalized belief?

The Example Scenario:

You recognize two absolutes in your belief statement, “People are such crappy drivers! They don't watch what they're doing."

• Another word for "people" in your thought is "everyone."
• There's a covert absolute in the second part: "They don't ever watch what they're doing."

Evidence for the thought: 

• Somone just cut in too close in front of you.
• Some people are crappy drivers.

Evidence against:

• Some people are OK drivers.
• Some people are good drivers.
• I've seen hundreds of cars on the road today, only one of them cut me off.

3. Change the Thought

Now that you’ve identified and examined the distorted overgeneralized thought, it’s time to come up with a more realistic belief statement.

Ask yourself:

• “What is the kernel of truth?”

• “What would be a more helpful, accurate thought?” (It often will be connected to the kernel of truth.)

The Example Scenario:

A truer statement would be, "That driver did a bad job changing lanes in front of me. That was dangerous." 

This perspective grounds the situation in specific details rather than broad generalizations, making it less likely to provoke heightened anxiety or the sense of being surrounded by constant danger.

Workbooks for Unpacking Distorted Thinking and Improving Your Life

Two of my self-help/helper-help workbooks include valuable information and exercises designed to help you recognize and navigate negative thought patterns (including overgeneralization) that hinder happiness. Each workbook features Catch, Check, Change worksheets to assist you in identifying and addressing these patterns.

Becoming Calm: Silver Lining Anxiety and Stress Resilience Workbook and Journal focuses on managing and overcoming anxiety. It offers practical tips and insights, along with journal pages featuring prompts to help you process anxious thoughts and feelings rooted in past experiences and as they come up in your current life.

Building Skills to Uplevel Life: Silver Lining Emotional Intelligence Workbook takes a broader approach. While it addresses anxiety, it also explores a wide range of emotions and topics related to emotional intelligence, providing you with tools to enhance your overall well-being.  

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