Friday, January 30, 2009

Think about the way you think........

I am in a Cognitive Restructuring class this term and it's one of the most interesting classes I have been in. We are learning about the way criminals think, because their way of thinking is different than the way a pro social person would think. There have been some eye openers in this class - we have learned about different thinking errors and tactics that criminals use. As we are studying about the way criminals think, I have been examining the way I think as well and trust me, there are some errors. Personally, I think we all have thinking errors. If there weren't errors, I don't think there would be arguments in families, difficulties understanding one another, and so forth. As I have been in this class, it's been an eye opener. I have been trying to be more aware of the way I think - it's hard to think about the way you think. Have you ever tried it? It's hard. It's difficult being more aware of your thoughts and being more conscientious of the way you think. Here are some one-liners that have stuck out to me: *If the results of your behavior do not meet your needs over time, then there is an incorrect principle on your behavior window. *You can always restart your day. No matter what has happened during the morning, afternoon, or whenever, you can always restart your day. *There is no such thing as failure, only feedback. *Everyone has their own individual free agency to choose. You can choose to be mad or you can choose to be happy. You can choose to get mad over little things or you can choose to not let it affect you. *Change doesn't happen by itself. *The harder the truth to tell, the truer the friend is who tells it. *If a person's thinking is flawed, then the behavior will be equally flawed. Change your perspective on the way you think. *People contribute to their own problems by the way they interpret them. Reorganize the way you interpret problems - change your perspective. These are just some of the things that I have learned. I have been trying to be more aware of the way I think. Isn't that our ultimate goal? To be celestial thinkers - to think the way God does. What an amazing change that would be: celestial thinkers. PS The statue above is the famous sculpture: The Thinker. I have seen this sculpture in person at the Rodin Museum in Paris. Yay!

6 comments:

Sam said...

Interesting observations. We have talked a lot about thinking and knowledge in my Humanities class and it's been really interesting, especially since we, as LDS members, have so many prejudices as to how we think already. We don't necessarily question why we exist and all that fun stuff, we just accept it because we grew up with it. If you're looking for a good quick read on reasoning and questioning it, read Descarte's "Method of Reasoning". I've got a copy that I could email to you if you want it...

Molly said...

Very insightful and very true!

mom-jayne said...

Such good stuff to "think" about. Thanks for sharing. Glad to know things are going so well for the Phair fam. Loves....

Dani said...

I have a link on my page under "favorites" called "blog makin." Go to it and it walks you through how to make your own backgrounds. It looks kind of tricky at first, but you'll get the hang of it.

Warrior Princesa said...

hmmmm. alli, i want to pick your brain on this class, because it was something i was thinking about just 2 minutes ago before i read your post. lets get together or send me a long email!!! love you dear!

suzanne said...

Love the idea of choosing your mood, your life, etc. I am a firm believer in choice! YAY!