Cognitive Biases and Interpersonal Relationships: Part 2
|Example
Let’s say again:
Mary notices herself feeling irritated when her brother in law gives her advice about how to do something she already knows how to do.
BUT, this time…
She thinks: What a jackass!! He is so arrogant.
Cognitive Therapy Technique: Identifying “Disconfirming Evidence”
Mary asks herself: What’s the evidence that my brother-in-law Dan is NOT in fact a jackass?
(she looks for evidence disconfirming the belief that is causing her to feel irritated)
She answers:
He’s a faithful husband
He loves his children
He works hard at his business.
She feels: Less irritated.
She writes down the “Balanced thought'”: Dan can be arrogant sometimes but he’s not a jackass.
She acts: Nicer to Dan.