BLOG #7 "Black and White Thinking"
Monday, May 11th 2026
It is or it isn’t. My mind structures itself to perceive life in a way that has caused me a great deal of pleasure and pain. When I find myself in thought, it is often in black or white. I observe and experience most of life through extremes. Even now, as I write this, I notice that my first thought is that I "always" perceive life like this. But this is not true, and my understanding of this thinking style is what allows me to see through the deception of the thoughts in my head. What I’ve learned about the mind is that there is both content (thoughts) and structure (thought patterns). Contrary to popular belief, attempting to change thoughts without changing the mechanism producing them is futile.
I interpret most situations as all or nothing: I win or I lose, today was a success or a failure, they love me or they don’t. This causes an internal struggle in my mind because one moment can attempt to invalidate the experience as a whole. One act of hatred towards me, and my perception highlights it, giving it hierarchy over the love I experienced beforehand. One mistake takes away the many compounded successful moments experienced prior. I would describe this cognitive thinking pattern as an intense binary structure. These lows are accompanied by extreme highs, and I understand that each experience can be perceived the other way as well. “One moment can attempt to invalidate my prior experiences” becomes a fruitful mentality when your posture emphasizes a wave of positivity in an ocean of negativity. Alternatively, one win can reign over several losses. I can show endless grace to others by remembering who they are apart from what they do. So, in turn, this pattern of thinking isn't bad, but its polarity can enhance good things to greatness and bad things to worse.
What I think is most worthy of highlighting are the different mechanisms operating in this structure of thinking. There is an intense focus on one side or the other, and that focus is powerful. When at a high, it's not that the bad doesn't exist; it's that I refuse to see it. I take on an unwavering faith in whichever binary system my attention falls on. In fact, I would argue that this way of thinking is synonymous with faith itself—one that can be put into both positive and negative experiences. My style of thinking enhances whatever I choose to focus on. So, where others say this thinking style is dangerous and can lead to negative outcomes, I would argue that, like all things, it’s what you do with what you have that gives anything good or bad value. Understanding the structure of your mind is crucial to understanding your personal growth and the growth of the things you put your energy into. I encourage you to seek how your mind can work for you, as it is already working against you. So, when I fall victim to the way I interpret reality, I will consider my thoughts and the structure that creates them. The highs I experience will in turn fall into lows, and my understanding of what is producing this interpretation of my reality will allow me to not be persuaded by what I think is truth.
This style of thinking is unique to me. As you learn about yourself, begin to question why you think the thoughts you think. In your curiosity, you will discover your own cognitive thinking style.
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