BASIC COGNITIVE CONCEPTS
- Cognition drives behavior
- Cognitive states can be modified
- Modified cognitive states modify behavior
- Behavior is reinforced by the ecosystem
- The individual and the environment are interactively influential
- The only behavior an individual person can control is his or her own
Cognitions [thoughts & feelings] are developed from personal experiences.
Such experiences provide opportunities for comparisons of patterns [similarities & differences] allowing for the development of groupings of experiences and impressions. These groupings are available to dissolution and change, but gradually the ‘fittest’ or most useful for prediction and control of future events, develop into themes, attitudes, ideologies or beliefs, changing the process from a ‘bottoms up’ data driven process to a ‘top down’ theory driven process. Thus new experiences are shaped to fit the ‘mosaic’ of the theory or ignored. As the information becomes redundant and predictable it becomes unconscious. We are often unaware of our most widely held beliefs, or at best, only aware of the overarching context, but not the component contexts. Sufficient new information or novelty may cause ‘surprise’ and an ‘orienting’ response which brings the issues to ‘consciousness’ at which time there is opportunity for ‘debugging’ the system. However, most conscious events are fleeting and while adaptation occurs with the advent of all new information in the conscious arena, such adaptation may be minimal. A psychological ‘mirror’ is helpful in keeping the new information in mind and practicing until it too becomes predictable and redundant. Such new information does not extinguish the old information, but may replace it in the theory or provide two contexts to compete for action. When two contexts compete an optional behavior becomes available even unconsciously. If competition exists unresolved by unconscious processors, consciousness may be accessed and a choice point becomes available. The more contexts available the more alternative solutions available and the more flexible the personality. The sum total of the individual’s thoughts create his/her personality and character. Since the attitudes of the person are represented in their actions; the ecosystem responds to, and the response is shaped by, these behaviors. If the attitude of the person is optimistic and gregarious, their actions will tend to be received positively and reinforced with reward. If the attitude of the person is pessimistic or hostile, the attitudes produce behaviors that are likely to create self-fulfilling prophesies which are responded to with disfavor. In both cases the reinforcement tends to support the original notion. The most significant attitudes or beliefs seem to be self-appraisal, appraisal of others and projections about how others feel about you, and projections about future prospects. Additionally, our strong need to understand and explain the world requires a causal attribution to the experiences of success and failure. Attributions are either to personal [e.g., ability and effort] or to impersonal forces over which the person has little control [e.g., situation and bad luck]. If in addition, the person believes that the causes are stable or permanent or unstable and changeable is significant. If changeable, one might be motivated to try again. Since we tend to do those things that we believe we can have success, the motivation [volition to act] is prescribed by our beliefs. Since human beings are complex beings, the significant aspects can be skewed by the individual. Language, the most consistent form of communicating information is notoriously ambiguous [e.g., the word ’bank’ for instance can be influenced by the terms water or money] and the person may take what is obvious to many in a contrary fashion. On the other hand, precise communication can change the context to one that is helpful. While consciousness is helpful for ‘debugging and change’; it is not always necessary. Certain positive behavioral rituals such as high expectation, prosocial, and treating a person as they ought to be can have significant impact. Finally, we all create the future, so both helpers and clients will need to decide what future they wish to have.