The etymological origin of the term distortion is found in Latin, since it derives from the word “distorsio”, which is the result of the union of three lexical components:
-The prefix “dis-”, which means “separation”.
-The verb “torquere”, which is synonymous with “twist”.
-The suffix “-ion”, which is used to indicate “action and effect”.
Starting from all this, we determined that this term was translated as “deformation” or “twist.”
The concept has several meanings: the first mentioned in the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ) refers to a twist .
A distortion, in this sense, can refer to a sprain , a dislocation or another type of physical injury linked to a sudden, violent or forced stretching. For example: “The injured man suffered a cervical distortion due to the impact” , “The distortion prevents him from moving his knee normally, so his presence in the next game is at risk” , “The study detected a distortion in the architecture of the epidermis.”
The idea of distortion can also refer to a distortion of a signal (auditory, visual or other type), generated during its reproduction or transmission: “I think there is a problem in the video signal: I will try to eliminate the distortion.” , “I can't understand what the interviewee is saying because of the distortion” , “Please, look at what can be done with that distortion” .
In modern music, a sound effect that is usually done with electric guitars is called distortion. Also known as overdrive , this is a controlled distortion typical of contemporary rock .
A distortion, finally, can be an imbalance or disproportion in the perception or interpretation of facts. This distortion can be carried out intentionally or involuntarily: “The official journalists intend to achieve a distortion of reality through fake news, with the aim of protecting the government,” “In recent years there has been a distortion of rates due to to subsidies” , “Anorexia nervosa is linked to a distortion of body image: the patient always sees himself as fat” .
The latter is what is known as cognitive distortions, which are wrong schemes that certain people have when interpreting the events that happen, thus generating a long list of negative consequences.
Among the most frequent distortions are those of people who maintain rigid ideas about how they and others should be and behave.
However, we cannot ignore those that are called catastrophic because they lead to perceiving catastrophes and negative events without having reasons for it. In this case, what happens, for example, is that someone who feels pain in their stomach perceives that this is a sign that they are suffering from colon cancer.
Believing that if something has happened once it can happen many times, which is known as overgeneralization, or continually denying the problems you have or the errors you make are other cognitive distortions that exist, although there are also the emotional reasoning and negativism.