Lecture notes

“Cognitive psychology. The way thoughts

shape our lives”
Psychology is a science that studies the laws of the origin, development and functioning of the
psyche and mental activity of a person and groups of people.
The psyche is a form of active representation of objective reality by a subject that occurs in
the process of interaction of highly organized beings with the outside world and performs a
regulatory function in their behavior (activity).
"Cognitive" means "related to knowledge". In other words, related to the acquisition, storage,
transformation, and use of knowledge. It means that cognitive psychology studies the way a
person acquires and uses knowledge.
Cognitive schemas are "the contents of our head", instructions. You cannot fix them, but you
can create and maintain a new ones!
Consists of:
• Perception
• Estimation
• Emotions
• Actions
CBT- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
• If the brain is a computer, it may have errors
• Destructive cognitive patterns are cognitive errors

Creators: George Kelly, Aaron Temkin-Beck, Albert Ellis

• Cognitive behavioral therapy is a form of psychotherapy that combines techniques
of cognitive and behavioral therapy.
• It is problem-oriented and result-oriented.
• During consultations, a cognitive therapist helps the patient to change their attitude,
which was formed as a result of an incorrect process of learning, development and
knowledge of themselves as a person in relation to the events that are happening.

Main ideas of the ABC Formula

A - Activating event
B - Beliefs, beliefs, attitudes
C - Consequence

Automatic thoughts are:

• Stenographic: "cold... lonely... tired"
• Not causing doubts, no matter how illogical they might be
• Perceived as spontaneous: occur spontaneously, that’s why they are true
• Of a forcing character: "You must...", "you must not..."
 • Showing everything in the worst light
• Unique
• Stable and spontaneous
• Different from our public statements
• Focusing on the same problems
• Compelled

Cognitive distortion
• Filtering - focus on negative details
Markers: "terrible, awful", "I can't stand it!"
• Black-and-white thinking – there are only extreme characteristics
Markers: "both or neither", "all or nothing"
• Super-communication - conclusions based on an isolated case
Markers: All, no one, never, everywhere, always, forever, constantly
• "Mind reading" - you know what other people feel and think
Markers: He, she, they – they all think…
• Catastrophization – constant process of waiting for trouble
Markers: "all is lost", "this is the end”
• Exaggeration - making things overvalued
Markers: "huge", "incredible", "exorbitant"
• Personalization – all words and actions of others are a reaction to you
Markers: I, me, by me, for me
• Must - there is a set of unbreakable rules of behavior for yourself and others
Markers: have to, must, should, need, demand

Must-be expressions
• I must be a perfect lover, friend, parent, teacher, student, or spouse.
• I must bear any difficulties with equanimity.
• I must be able to quickly find solutions to any problem.
• I have no right to feel pain, I should always be happy and calm.
• I must know, understand, and anticipate everything.
• I should always look relaxed but still be in complete control of my feelings.
• I should never experience negative emotions, such as anger or jealousy.
• I must love all of my children equally.
• I must never make mistakes.
• My feelings must be constant. If I love, I must always love.
• I must be absolutely confident in myself.
• I must defend my interests and beliefs at all costs.
• I have no right to be tired or ill.
• I must always do everything as efficiently as possible.

Instructions for life

• Don't try to pander to all of your emotions
• Understand what lives behind your strong feelings, go back to the situation that caused
them and analyze it according to the scheme: EMOTION-SITUATION-ASSESSMENT-IS THIS
CORRECT?-IS IT USEFUL?-REVALUATION
• Don't worry if you will get back

Use desensitization: Imagine an unpleasant situation. Use your imagination to make your
heart beat faster. Keep this up. When your heart rate slows down, imagine the emotions you
want to experience in this situation.
 Recommendations
Recommended reading:
1. " Think slowly… Solve quickly " D. Kahneman
2. "Psycho-training by the method of Albert Ellis"
3. "The Lizard in Your Head" by D. Katz
4. "Anxiety Free" by R. Leahy
5. "A Psychotherapist to Himself" by K. Swift

Recommended lectures:
1. "The way self-esteem affects our lives: success, aggression, and relationships"
The lecture is dedicated to the discussion of the real impact of self-esteem on life and the
destructive aspects of this concept.
2. "How to set goals and achieve them”
We are exploring how to set a goal correctly and not to stop moving towards it.
3. "The amazing brain: the way it creates and solves our problems"
In this lecture, we will look how the brain can change at the neural level and what causes
these changes.

Contacts:
Lecturer-Anastasia Kulkova
instagram: nasty_kulkova

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