week 2

Discussion week 2

Errors in Thinking and Irrational Beliefs

Please read page 121 of your text about psychologist Albert Ellis and his thoughts about irrational beliefs. Look over the irrational beliefs listed here and try to find what their common elements are. To see what their common elements are is important! Also, study the concept of fallacies in Chapter  5 and compare it to the 'Irrational Beliefs' Albert Ellis identified. There are a lot of similarities (what are those?) -- and one significant difference (what can it be)?  These 'Irrational Beliefs' are cognitive errors that people live by. Living by these cognitive errors can relate to depression and other psychological disorders. Discuss how these cognitive errors can adversely impact a person's psychological well-being. Discuss any of these or others that may impact you, your psychological state, or you achieving your goals. Use critical thinking skills to justify your position. As you share your own experience, please remember that experience is never right or wrong. You will want to focus on your own experience and then listening as others share their own life experiences. Your third post is due by midnight on Sunday and needs to be a minimum of 200 words each. You must use references from your text or from another source (website, book, or journal article) to support or negate your position on this topic.

** Remember, when responding to other students, do not judge. Simply state your position, backed by the evidence you choose. It can be hard not to judge those you disagree with but begin practicing with our class.  Psychology Discussion Requirements: You are required to have 3 posts in each discussion, and these three posts must be made on three separate days.  The first post is the initial response to the question that appropriately and completely addresses the topic. This must be completed by 11:59 p.m. (EST) Wednesday. It is best to post it at the beginning of the week. The remaining two posts are responses to two different classmates. The first response to a classmate is due Saturday at 11:59 p.m. (EST), and the second response to a classmate is due on Sunday at 11:59 p.m. (EST).  Responses to me do not count as a response to another student; however, I will interact with each of you throughout the course. I encourage you to respond. If you do not post on three separate days, you will lose points (possible 15 point deduction). There will be a deduction of 5 points per day that the initial post is late. Posts are not accepted after the week closes on Sunday night.

1. Your initial post (your response to the topic) must contain a citation. It is your ideas supported by research. There will be a deduction of 20 points for failure to cite a source within your initial post and provide a reference at the end of your initial post.

2. Your initial post must be a minimum of 350 words, and each response must be a minimum of 250 words. Please double-check your word count. Only posts that meet the word count requirements receive credit.

3. Post your word count at the end of each post. There will be a 5 point deduction for each failure to provide a word count.

4. Please address fellow students and your professor by name. There will be a 5 point deduction for each failure to address by name.

5. Please use spell-check and proper grammar. Points will be deducted for each spelling and grammatical error up to 10 points for each post. 

reply two peers

Leia Lamelas 

Week 2 Discussion

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Some cognitive distortions include "all-or-nothing" thinking, mind reading, overgeneralizing, filtering, catastrophic thinking, and disqualifying thoughts. Albert Ellis defined irrational beliefs as such, including assumptions that one is not worthy or adequate, the world is coming to an end when things are not as one would prefer, evading problems is easier than confronting them, etc. Ellis expertly identifies and defines the illogical thinking that occurs in many of us with issues such as depressive episodes. These illogical cognitive errors absolutely distort life for someone suffering from depression. I have been there, more than I'd like to admit. It is easy to slip into a funk in which you can only find negativity and sadness about every aspect of your waking hours. This causes "emotional distress and maladaptive behavior" (Tecuta, et al., 2019). Persons experiencing this distorted thought process are irritable, sad, unmotivated, and isolated. Social media is a powerful yet toxic, decieving platform in which users see only the positive, distorted reality of life. A recent study suggests that society has shifted toward this distortion. Viewing these beautiful pictures, new clothes, and happy families causes us to forget that there are negative aspects behind the scenes. Filtering is an example of cognitive distortion in which a person is given both positive feedback and constructive criticism, yet the person will specifically focus on the critique rather than the positive. This is similar to the "glass is half empty" thought pattern. Over time, the person will be full of negativity and only believe that the world sees them negatively. Anxiety, depression, and panic disorders will spike and become worse. Goals will become harder to reach, and seemingly further away and less attainable than they might have before. The thought process of "I can't do it" instead of "I think I can" is exhausting and will not get you anywhere in life. As hard as it is to overcome these thought patterns, the best decision you can make is to seek help. Once the person realizes how distorted and irrational the thought process is, it can be discredited and replaced with a more positive solution. WC: 347

References

Adrianna Rukenbrod 

week 2

COLLAPSE

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There are plenty of similarities that I have discovered in Albert Ellis's irrational beliefs. A lot of these belifes involve internal demands. There is a specific word that must be used, that word is "must." Each of these demand a perfect and convenient life for them to handle. These are thoughts that cause us to over think our lives. Fallacies and irrational beliefs sound as if they are synonymous, they all have different meanings. Fallacies are an argument that appears to be correct (p. 137, para. 1). Whereas irrational beliefs are primary source of depression, rage, feelings, and sefl-hatred (p. 121, para. 1). I think that irrational beliefs are able to be corrected and or treated when fallacies have no correction because fallacies involves logic errors. Cognitive errors affect our daily lives, our mental sanity, and our personal well-being and personalities as a whole. Cognitive errors cause us to be depressed, angry, and anxious. All of the emotions you experiance affect our psychological state of mind. For example if you are always upset, then the way you make your decisons or live your daily life is effected. I do believe that I struggle with being in charge of things that happen in  my life because I always need to make sure it is going ok and I need reassurance a lot. I know that I struggle to not be in control sometimes but I do let my husband take control sometimes when it is something he is interested in. There are definitly times when I let my fallacies get the best of me and take control which causes me to become angry when things do not go as planned. I tend to get upset when something does not go my way because I tend to get my own hopes up very often. 

Boss, J. A. (2016). Think: Critical Thinking and Logic Skills for Everyday Life (4th ed.). McGraw Hill. 

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