Gilbert P
Mental Health Research Unit, Kingsway Hospital, Derby, UK.
Br J Med Psychol. 1998 Dec;71(4):447-63. doi: 10.1111/j.2044-8341.1998.tb01002.x.
This paper explores common cognitive distortions from the perspective of evolutionary psychology. It is suggested that cognitive distortions are natural consequences of using fast track defensive algorithms that are sensitive to threat. In various contexts, especially those of threat, humans evolved to think adaptively rather than logically. Hence cognitive distortions are not strictly errors in brain functioning and it can be useful to inform patients that 'negative thinking' may be dysfunctional but is a reflection of basic brain design and not personal irrationality. The evolved nature of cognitive distortions has been implicit in cognitive therapy from its early days (Beck, 1963; Ellis, 1962) but has not been fully articulated in what is now known about evolved mental processes. Many forms of cognitive distortion can be seen to use the (previously) adaptive heuristic of better safe than sorry.
本文从进化心理学的角度探讨了常见的认知扭曲。研究表明，认知扭曲是使用对威胁敏感的快速防御算法的自然结果。在各种情况下，尤其是在威胁情境中，人类进化为进行适应性思考而非逻辑性思考。因此，认知扭曲并非严格意义上的大脑功能错误，告知患者“消极思维”可能功能失调，但它反映的是大脑的基本设计而非个人非理性，这可能会有所帮助。认知扭曲的进化本质从认知疗法早期就已隐含其中（贝克，1963年；埃利斯，1962年），但在目前已知的进化心理过程中尚未得到充分阐述。许多形式的认知扭曲都可以被视为使用了“宁可事先谨慎有余，不要事后追悔莫及”这种（先前）适应性的启发式策略。
