Chapter Three: Cognitive Psychology, Choosing Our Reality

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“Cognition: The process of knowing and, more precisely, the process of being aware, knowing, thinking, learning, and judging.”
MedicineNet.com

Back in the mideighties when I was leading The Achieve Group (now part of AchieveGlobal), Peter Strickland introduced me to the work of Martin Seligman. I was working on my first book, The VIP Strategy: Leadership Skills for Exceptional Performance

I became an avid follower of Seligman’s leading-edge work at the University of Pennsylvania. He began his distinguished psychology career in the late sixties studying pessimism, learned helplessness, and depression. In 1990 Seligman released his seminal book, Learned Optimism. It is loaded with extensive and solid research from the rapidly expanding field of cognitive therapy — within the larger field of cognitive behavioral therapies. Learned Optimism proved that “optimism is essential for a good and successful life.” This very practical book is an excellent introduction to the power of cognitive therapy and provides very useful self-assessment tools followed by plenty of suggestions for building optimism at work, as parents with our kids, in schools, in sports, in organizations, and for our own health.

For most of the nineties, Learned Optimism was my favorite book on personal growth and self-leadership. Here are a few of its key points that are relevant to how we choose the frames that create our reality: with Achieve cofounder, Art McNeil. We had just hired Peter to head up the trainer-training part of our business associated with Zenger Miller’s programs (also now part of AchieveGlobal). Peter knew I was looking for credible research on the links between self-determination, optimism, and leadership.

• Pessimistic prophecies are self-fulfilling and create a downward spiral — often into depression.
• Depression is a symptom of conscious negative thinking and does not come from underlying disorders, unresolved issues, unconscious anger, or brain chemistry.
• Pessimism is not fixed and unchangeable. Anyone can become optimistic by learning a new set of cognitive skills.
• Our thoughts aren’t just reactions to events; they often change what causes or follows those events.
• Self-direction rather than outside forces explains our actions and gives us control over our lives.
• For the first time in history, a large number of people have a significant amount of choice — societal rights, in fact — and personal control over their lives.
• During a time of dramatic increases in material wealth, severe depression is ten times worse in North America than 50 years ago.
• We all have automatic thoughts or styles of explanation that we try to impose on others for the good and bad events in our lives.
• Our explanatory style develops in childhood and determines whether we’re pessimistic or optimistic (wallowing, following, or leading ourselves and others).
• Cognitive behavioral therapy can permanently reset our explanatory style to optimism, with a low relapse rate.
• Attitude, motivation, and optimism are key predictors of future success.
• Sports teams with optimistic explanatory styles perform better.
• Optimistic U.S. presidential candidates win more elections.

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Click to hear Jim outlining how Growing @ the Speed of Change is written, and priced, for broad distribution to frontline, as well as, supervisory and management staff who need to accept change, and adapt to the challenges and opportunities it brings.

Jim Clemmer: Keynote Speaker, Workshop/Retreat Leader, and Management Team Developer