What cognitive distortion is illustrated by the statement: "I haven't accomplished anything with my life since I've been in graduate school"?

The statement "I haven't accomplished anything with my life since I've been in graduate school" exemplifies all or nothing thinking by portraying a situation in black-and-white terms. This cognitive distortion occurs when someone perceives their experiences in extremes without acknowledging any middle ground. In this case, the individual disregards any small achievements or progress made during graduate school and instead believes that if they haven't accomplished significant milestones, it means they have accomplished nothing at all. This type of thinking can be detrimental as it does not allow for a realistic appraisal of one’s efforts and accomplishments, emphasizing failure rather than recognizing the growth and learning that often occur during challenging periods like graduate school.

In the context of the other cognitive distortions, overgeneralization involves drawing broad conclusions from a single event, while catastrophizing entails expecting the worst possible outcome from a situation. Mental filtering describes focusing solely on negative aspects of a situation while ignoring positive elements. The emphasis on the absolutes of "nothing" vs. "something" in the original statement aligns most closely with all or nothing thinking.