Cognitive Theory tends to distinguish between three levels of thinking:

1. Explicit Negative Thinking (e.g. "I can't think of anything to say!")
2. Semi-implicit dysfunctional assumptions (e.g. "If I get cross with my child then he will hate me foreever")
3. Implicit Core Beliefs (e.g. "I am unlovable")

A core proposition in Cognitive Behavioural approaches is that specific thoughts influence the feeling state of the thinker, and this offers an angle from which to address the task of changing a prevailing mood state.