GENERALISING

If I told you something like - 'I never do things right'; 'All men are chauvinists'; 'I always end up in the longest queues' etc. - Would you think I am right? 

 

How often do you think you use words like - always, never, everyone, nobody, the world is... etc.? Most of us are vulnerable to generalising. People who incline in this kind of thinking are simply making assumptions about the way the world works, which can only be conclusions drawn from a single unpleasant experience or discrete piece of information.

What are the dangers of this kind of unhealthy thinking? 

One of them is that it makes hard for you to bring any past positive experiences to mind and you may start believing it is true and 'make it happen' (i.e. if you think that nobody likes you, you may start making little effort to engage with people and avoid them).

What to do? 

• Pause and think;
• Question yourself;
• Train yourself to look for exceptions to your own rules;
• Look for evidence;
• Change habits, it all comes with time.

 

Dalai Lama said 'The mind is like a parachute, it works best when it is open'. Why not to look at people and things as unique and independent? Generalisation just causes prejudice, hurt and conflicts. It's not only unhealthy thinking but also destructive.