Overgeneralization error in Oregonian LTE, lists of cognitive distortions

In an Oregonian LTE 11/29/04 S. Jones says:

One negative comment heard on a TV interview following the election was, "I'm ashamed to be an American. I'm depressed." But what could be more depressing than watching a bunch of sore losers walking the streets of downtown Portland this month in protest of the election outcome?"

There are several problems with this. The first is an overgeneralization error. Many people are depressed -- a few people demonstrated. Even if the few who demonstrated were depressed, the actions of the few do not reflect upon the many. Her comments are not against the few who demonstrated, but against all of us who are depressed at the outcome of the election -- and that might include half the country.

This cognitive error is common. People see alcoholics on Burnside. They conclude that this small sample represents what alcoholics look like. They rationalize they cannot possibly be alcoholic because they have not reached this nadir of existence. They ignore their own problems with alcohol.

But the bigger problem is that she doesn't seem to get why people who voted for Kerry are depressed. What would she think about another effort to show our sadness, like http://www.sorryeverybody.com/ and the concommitant http://www.apologiesaccepted.com/index.html? I truly believed that this was an election between good and evil and evil won. More than that, I believe evil won through illogic. I'm looking for the logical people who voted for Bush, but everyone I've talked to so far has been depressingly illogical.

Getting back to S, in an even more ironic twist, overgeneralization is often a factor in becoming depressed. The fact that she is using this might explain why she ends her letter with:
I'm ashamed to be an Oregonian. I'm depressed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_distortion
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cognitive_biases


Interesting new site at http://changingminds.org/