You are reading an analytical essay on overthinking, a term that has recently become widely used by people of all ages due to the influence of popular culture. Even before we knew this word existed in this particular sense, most of us were unaware that we have been practicing its meaning almost every moment of the day—except when we sleep.
Overthinking is translated into Turkish as repetitive, uncontrollable thoughts; mental activities that are generally problem-focused but fail to lead to an effective solution. A deeper look reveals that overthinking manifests through phenomena such as ruminating on the past, worrying excessively about the future, decision-making paralysis, and endless “what if” scenarios. It usually arises in response to a problem: instead of producing a solution, the mind fixates on the issue and magnifies possible risk factors, eventually turning the situation into something inescapable.
This prolonged and excessive focus on the problem causes it to grow larger in the mind. What begins as a single concern—e.g., gaining weight—turns into a cascade of thoughts such as “I will never lose weight again,” “I am unhealthy,” “I will become obese,” and so on. None of these thoughts reflect reality; they exist solely within the person’s mental script, court, and narrative. Sometimes, the overthinking becomes so intense that the person even begins to confuse imagination with reality. They assume that what they have constructed in their mind is actually happening, re-entering the same cycle in a paradoxical loop.
Let us examine this phenomenon through the lenses of different psychological schools of thought.
Psychoanalytic Perspective
According to psychoanalysis, excessive thinking may represent the surfacing of internal drives and repressed emotions. Internal conflicts and defense mechanisms (such as rationalization and intellectualization) are employed in an attempt to control emotions through “thinking.” Let us explore this through a case example.
“Elif is a 27-year-old graduate student. She begins therapy by saying she is ‘tired of thinking all the time.’ Her mind works throughout the day and even at night:
‘Am I preparing well enough for my thesis? Does my professor dislike me? Why didn’t my friend reply immediately?’
She feels trapped inside an internal voice she cannot silence.
In the first sessions, Elif narrates her thoughts rather than her feelings. Even when she says ‘I felt bad,’ she immediately shifts into analysis: ‘But the reason behind this feeling might be…’ While listening quietly, the therapist notices something: Elif never says ‘I am sad’ directly. Every ‘I am sad’ is replaced by ‘Why might I be feeling this way?’
During one session, her eyes fill with tears while talking about her father; but she quickly adds, ‘I think I read about the adult effects of not receiving enough emotional support in childhood in an article.’
She suppresses even her tears with an academic sentence.
The therapist asks:
‘Elif, it seems like before you allow yourself to feel an emotion, you start thinking about it. Maybe you choose to analyze instead of feeling?’
A moment of silence follows. Elif quietly responds:
‘Yes… because if I let myself feel it, I’m afraid I’ll lose control.’”
From a psychoanalytic perspective, Elif’s overthinking can be seen as repressed emotions disguised as thoughts. The unconscious protects itself from emotional pain through intellectualization, one of Freud’s classic defense mechanisms. Because emotional content is perceived as “dangerous,” the person handles it from a cognitive distance, analyzing rather than experiencing it. Thinking becomes a form of emotional control. The mind suppresses the heart; analysis replaces emotional experience. This creates a common therapeutic cycle: whenever the person approaches emotional depth, they retreat through mental explanations.
The roots of this cycle often lie in internalized childhood messages such as emotional deprivation or emotions being labeled as dangerous, embarrassing, or excessive. Elif’s relationship with her father is central: his statements like “Be logical” and “Crying does no good” gradually became her inner voice. That voice now echoes within Elif’s mental noise.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Perspective
From a CBT perspective, Elif’s overthinking cycle results from automatic negative thoughts and accompanying cognitive distortions. Faced with uncertainty or a sense of losing control, she frequently relies on catastrophic or perfectionistic thought patterns such as “What if it goes wrong?” or “I must do everything perfectly.” These thoughts heighten anxiety, draw her attention toward negative possibilities, and lead to avoidance and emotional exhaustion.
CBT aims to help individuals recognize these automatic thoughts and restructure them into more realistic and functional alternatives. In therapeutic work with Elif, the thought–emotion–behavior cycle is first made explicit. Next, techniques such as evidence gathering, probability analysis, and evaluating alternative explanations are used to question the accuracy of her thoughts. The goal is to soften her belief that “I must think about everything,” and help her experience that control can also be achieved through flexible thinking and emotional acceptance—not constant analysis. As she changes her thoughts, her emotional burden will begin to lighten, allowing more balanced cognitive awareness to emerge.
CBT explains overthinking as the result of irrational beliefs and dysfunctional cognitive processes. In this model, emotional distress stems not from events themselves, but from how the person interprets these events. Thoughts shape emotions and behaviors. Overthinking represents a blockage in the “thought” part of this chain: the person constantly analyzes situations and visualizes the worst-case scenario, which in turn increases anxiety.
CBT highlights several common cognitive distortions that fuel overthinking:
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Catastrophizing: Focusing on the worst possible outcome (“If I fail, everything will fall apart”).
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Mind Reading: Assuming you know what others think (“I know they dislike me”).
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Overgeneralization: Extending a single negative event to everything (“I made one mistake; I’ll always fail”).
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All-Or-Nothing Thinking: Seeing situations only in extremes (“If it’s not perfect, it’s terrible”).
These distortions block objective evaluation. The mind amplifies perceived threats and triggers physical anxiety responses (e.g., heart palpitations, muscle tension, insomnia). Thus, the person becomes mentally and physiologically exhausted.
During CBT, the therapist helps the individual recognize, question, and replace these automatic thoughts with more functional ones. Techniques like “What evidence do I have for this thought?” and “What are other possible explanations?” allow the individual to test thoughts against reality. This process is known as cognitive restructuring.
Additionally, behavioral experiments and mindfulness techniques are used to break the cycle of overthinking. Instead of suppressing thoughts, the person learns to observe them. Rather than clinging to the content of the thought, they begin noticing its impact. Over time, realizing that a thought is just a mental event—not a fact—reduces mental noise.
Ultimately, CBT views overthinking as the result of irrational beliefs and dysfunctional cognitive habits. Treatment focuses not on suppressing thoughts but on forming a new relationship with them, gaining control not through analysis, but through awareness. Thus, the individual learns to become a witness to their thoughts, rather than their captive.
Silencing The Mind Or Hearing The Emotion?
In conclusion, overthinking can be understood as the product of both unconscious processes and dysfunctional cognitive patterns. From a psychoanalytic perspective, it often emerges when repressed emotions transform into mental loops; instead of directly experiencing pain, sadness, or anxiety, the person attempts to manage these feelings through thought. Thinking becomes a defense mechanism; emotions are suppressed by analysis, intensifying mental noise.
From a CBT perspective, overthinking is fueled by automatic negative thoughts and cognitive distortions; thoughts shape emotions and behaviors. CBT works to make this cycle visible, question unhelpful thoughts, and replace them with more functional alternatives.
Both perspectives share a key insight: merely attempting to silence the mind is not enough. Increasing emotional awareness and grounding thoughts in a realistic framework enhances mental and emotional flexibility.
In short, overcoming overthinking is not just about controlling thoughts, but about developing emotional awareness and practicing cognitive restructuring. By doing so, a person can both live in the present and free themselves from mental noise.
“Lucilius, we suffer more often in imagination than in reality.”
— Lucius Annaeus Seneca