Black and white thinking

[onlything]

Black and white thinking isn't very logical to be honest. For every instance of this kind of thinking, you see every event in only one of two ways - either in a 'black' light, as bad, or in 'white' light, as good. All or nothing. For example, the question of human nature - black and white thinking would be to say that a person is either good (white thinking) or evil (black thinking). Logically speaking, it is not probable due to so many little shades of gray and differences between people. People are simply human.

Other example. If you leave bed today, then you're fine. If you don't, you're lazy. However, this thinking process didn't take into account the context of the situation. If you think logically, you may find reasons for staying in the bed - sickness, depression, broken leg. In these instances, does staying in bed really mean you're lazy? No, it means you're ill.

Black and white thinking is, in a way, 'the easy way out'. It accepts 'theories' without even trying to consider 'proof' or 'instances'. It's like a scientist that will consider a theory real without challenging or testing it in any way. It's a distorted way of thinking that would be better to be avoided.

 

[AHClemist]

I relate to this so freaking much. Especially the lying awake analyzing every facet, aspect, all the data that people don't realize we've collected, turning it over and over again, trying to fit the pieces together in different ways until something makes sense that I can live with.

In another thread, I found a quote that I'm going to borrow (I wrote it down in my journal but not who said it, so I apologize for that): "I can't let go until order is restored (what I perceive to be order, that is.)" and I relate to it so much. When a situation (especially a social situation with those closest to me) goes bad, I feel like my life is not ordered, and I'm turning things over in my mind for days, weeks, or even months, trying to find some order in the chaos and uncertainty so that I can move on. I have a really hard time accepting that I'll never have that, so I obsessively try to create it. Trying to create order in a situation gone awry becomes a special interest.

My current "project" is figuring out how to create order in a situation like that and accept that I will never know what happened...to put the situation in a proverbial box on a proverbial shelf and be OK with it existing there.

Oh the deep-dives I have taken because I can't seem to remember anything until I've learned every detail about it.

 

[Kalinychta]

Black and white thinking isn't very logical to be honest. For every instance of this kind of thinking, you see every event in only one of two ways - either in a 'black' light, as bad, or in 'white' light, as good. All or nothing. For example, the question of human nature - black and white thinking would be to say that a person is either good (white thinking) or evil (black thinking). Logically speaking, it is not probable due to so many little shades of gray and differences between people. People are simply human.

Other example. If you leave bed today, then you're fine. If you don't, you're lazy. However, this thinking process didn't take into account the context of the situation. If you think logically, you may find reasons for staying in the bed - sickness, depression, broken leg. In these instances, does staying in bed really mean you're lazy? No, it means you're ill.

Black and white thinking is, in a way, 'the easy way out'. It accepts 'theories' without even trying to consider 'proof' or 'instances'. It's like a scientist that will consider a theory real without challenging or testing it in any way. It's a distorted way of thinking that would be better to be avoided.

Exactly. That’s what I was saying about rational versus logical thinking. Logical thinking is strict and precise: one plus one will always equal two. Rational thinking employs logic but also considers context, so it’s imprecise. Pure logic works in science and math but not in everyday life.

So if you ruminate on things, if you think a lot and try to rationalize everything, then you are NOT a logical black and white thinker. Logic takes no time. There’s very little thinking involved. Killing is wrong. Jane killed her husband. Therefore, Jane was wrong to kill her husband. This is logical. Black and white. 1 + 1=2. But if Jane killed her husband after years of severe abuse, a rational person would take this into account and would challenge the “killing is wrong” premise and try to come up with the best, most rational conclusion possible. Logical thinking versus rational thinking.

I’m thinking of that show Doc Martin. I would consider him to be a black and white thinker (and I believe he’s autistic, too, if I recall correctly). So maybe black and white thinking in autism is restricted to the math- and science-minded autistics.

 

[onlything]

Exactly. That’s what I was saying about rational versus logical thinking. Logical thinking is strict and precise: one plus one will always equal two. Rational thinking employs logic but also considers context, so it’s imprecise. Pure logic works in science and math but not in everyday life.

So if you ruminate on things, if you think a lot and try to rationalize everything, then you are NOT a logical black and white thinker. Logic takes no time. There’s very little thinking involved. Killing is wrong. Jane killed her husband. Therefore, Jane was wrong to kill her husband. This is logical. Black and white. 1 + 1=2 But if Jane killed her husband after years of severe abuse, a rational person would take this into account and would challenge the “killing is wrong” premise and try to come up with the best, most rational conclusion possible. Logical thinking versus rational thinking.

I’m thinking of that show Doc Martin. I would consider him to be a black and white thinker (and I believe he’s autistic, too, if I recall correctly). So maybe black and white thinking in autism is restricted to the math- and science-minded autistics.

That's a good point and definitely something to think about. It could be possible that many autistics come out with default logical thinking patterns causing the black and white thinking and learn to consider context (grey areas) in time, while others come with the default to always consider context... Hm, that's quite interesting.

 

[Tom]

@Tom[/USER] is on to something with the theory of colours we think in, neurotypical thinking is emotively highly coloured, where ours tends to be careful deliberation, monochrome.

Um... Er... Oh Yes! Of Course, that is what I meant all along. And since you were first to recognize it I have decided to share my fame and name it Tomiskov and Thinxfetter's theory of Monochromatic Thinkful Thoughting. Also known as ILLS (I Love Lucy Syndrome).

 

[Thinx]

The difference between what you're describing and what I described is that what you're describing sounds as if it's entirely internal. What I described is triggered by the words or actions of another person.

Not really, in insecure attachment processes, my projection is most likely linked to some behaviour of another person, but I may see the behaviour more negatively than it warrants. There's a trigger as you say, but when I have become more secure through having supportive parenting, relating with secure others, or therapy, for example, I would be able to view the behaviour with greater tolerance.

 

[Kalinychta]

That's a good point and definitely something to think about. It could be possible that many autistics come out with default logical thinking patterns causing the black and white thinking and learn to consider context (grey areas) in time, while others come with the default to always consider context... Hm, that's quite interesting.

And actually I think you can be a black and white thinker and a rational thinker depending on the situation. You’ll discuss current events in a rational manner, but also believe that there is only one way to wind a garden hose and by god nobody is going to convince you otherwise.

 

[tducey]

I thought black and white thinking was thinking without color.

 

[Kiley]

My life in a nutshell.

Haha! Your post made me laugh really hard. “Any sign of stupidity”—ha! I’m the same way. I can’t talk my way out of this type of behavior either. I recognize that it’s crazy and that I don’t need to get my proverbial panties in a twist every time someone or something gets on my nerves, but alas...

 

[Fino]

Not really, in insecure attachment processes, my projection is most likely linked to some behaviour of another person, but I may see the behaviour more negatively than it warrants. There's a trigger as you say, but when I have become more secure through having supportive parenting, relating with secure others, or therapy, for example, I would be able to view the behaviour with greater tolerance.

That would make sense for them to be similar, as insecure attachment is a hallmark of BPD, especially in regards to parents.

 

[Aspychata]

Black and White thinking is the basis of civil laws which dictates to the idiot masses no- you can not park your car on John's lawn, and you need to pay for things before you leave the store. This is to maintain order in society. When we go rogue, then the LA Riots come to mind. Gray thinking goes a step further and says at what point are we just a full on police state?

So we need black, white and gray thinking. But being a gray thinker does come with It's own set of issues.

 

[Lundi]

Here is an example of black and white thinking:

1) Like in the other thread that I just created half an hour ago, I speak too low in volume because everything seems loud to me. When told to speak louder, I raise my voice. Then people say that I am yelling. So it is basically that I am mumbling or yelling.

2) In my 20s I was naïve and answered any question about personal information or whatever due to robotic naïveté. Now I feel a bit paranoid about this any often refuse to answer questions like that.

3) I used to trust basically everyone. Having been screwed over by people who took advantage of the blind trust, now I feel paranoid. When I am in social gatherings, now I trust no one. Not even people whom I used to consider friends. I am having trouble trusting people whom I always have trusted, as well as trusting new people.

4) When I was a teenager, people kept telling me that I was too skinny and ate too little. So I did the exact opposite and stuffed myself full of food that I gained 40 kg (88 lb) in a few months due to binge-eating.

5) When I was in university, I studied all day and never socialised. I was told to socialise more. So for a (thankfully) short while, I did the opposite, socialising way too much and not studying enough.

All are examples of either A or B, black and white. Hopefully my examples help you to not do like I did.

 

[Aspychata]

Black and White thinking is needed because if the world ran on gray thinking we would move extremely slow. The attorneys would hold all the power because we would be court all time trying to deciper gray laws and who had liability. Rigid thinking is what l want my dept of motor vehicle employees to have. I think the post office is a very good idea of rigid thinking. But l don't want my therapist to be a black and white thinker, l need them to be a bit gray.

 

[OrdinaryCitizen]

What exactly is black and white thinking?

From what i understand reading Feeling Good book by David D. Burns (CBT) its when you think in extremes like there's scale one end of the spectrum is too much (black) and other end is too little (white), you miss that there's many things in between this two states.

I don't have good example, here's quote from the book.

Definitions of Cognitive Distortions
I. All-or-Nothing Thinking. This refers to your tendency
to evaluate your personal qualities in extreme, black-or-white
categories. For example, a prominent politician told me, "Be-
cause I lost the race for governor, I'm a zero." A straight-A
student who received a B on an exam concluded, "Now I'm a
total failure." All-or-nothing thinking forms the basis for per-
fectionism. It causes you to fear any mistake or imperfection
because you will then see yourself as a complete loser, and
you will feel inadequate and worthless.
This way of evaluating things is unrealistic because life is
rarely completely either one way or the other. For example,
no one is absolutely brilliant or totally stupid. Similarly, no
one is either completely attractive or totally ugly. Look at the
floor of the room you are sitting in now. Is it perfectly clean?
Is every inch piled high with dust and dirt? Or is it partially
clean? Absolutes do not exist in this universe. If you try to
force your experiences into absolute categories, you will be
constantly depressed because your perceptions will not con-
form to reality. You will set yourself up for discrediting your-
self endlessly because whatever you do will never measure up
to your exaggerated expectations. The technical name for this
type of perceptual error is "dichotomous thinking." You see
everything as black or white—shades of gray do not exist.