CBT says cognition affect behavior? Do you agree that cognition is responsible for all bad actions we did in our life?

[Joseph_ngaruiya]

Cynthia_Oluchi wrote:
> I'm of the opinion that every factor is interrelated to bring about
> someone's behavior. However, there are ones that are more predominant over
> others. An example is the subject matter, thoughts. Behaviors are basically
> one's reactions to circumstances. One's response comes from the manner he
> looks at things—his thoughts over the matter. His behavior stems from his
> thoughts.

This is so true, the best way to control our behaviors is by changing our thought processes. How we perceive our situations can be the difference between getting stressed and living a happy life.

[Joseph_ngaruiya]

djr6090 wrote:
> CBT says cognition affect behavior? Do you agree that cognition is
> responsible for all bad actions we did in our life?
>
> All the bad - maybe not. I don't think that every action is conscious.
> Everyone has heard of a 'knee jerk reaction.' I think some of our bad
> actions, meaning bad for us in the long run, are due to drifting into
> situations because they are familiar, or snap decisions influenced by our
> circumstances of the moment. But I do believe that CBT is effective for
> nudging your personality in the direction you want it to go.

On the contrary, personality is harder to change than it is to alter a habit or thought. To replace a habit, the cognitive approach has to be replaced with a different activity that offers the same or higher results. A noble person will approach issues logically and with empathy, while an ignoble character is interested more in what he/she has to gain. For that same reason, the two will see stress and anxiety differently.

[Sou Hi]

Well, in my opinion, cognition is responsible for our doings. You know, life changes when we change. Unless we are nuts or overreact, we should have full control of our minds. I think this is the reason the law does not judge insane people, as it deems these people unable to administrate themselves consciously.

If we do bad things due to the external factors, then it's because we let them affect us. We can't just tell the jury that we steal or hit someone or damage something because they piss us off and walk away with it. That's just blaming.

For internal factors, such as emotion, I think if we can recognize and regulate them at an acceptable level, it won't cloud our judgment. For example, if we are so angry to the point of stabbing someone, but we do know it's a bad move, then we won't commit the crime. Which is why those who are composed will have better management of their actions and in turn their life.

[Joseph_ngaruiya]

Patrick Maina1 wrote:
> If you can control your mind(cognition), you can definitely control your
> behavior and your emotions.Stress and anxiety are most of the time brought
> about by our reaction (perception)to stressors.CBT works wonders.

I acknowledge this fully, perceiving something as difficult or easy will influence the attitude you form towards it. Gustavo may have given numerous guidelines in this book, but how a reader thinks about the book before they even read it, may determine whether they will apply the recommended remedies or not.

[Joseph_ngaruiya]

Sou Hi wrote:
> Well, in my opinion, cognition is responsible for our doings. You know,
> life changes when we change. Unless we are nuts or overreact, we should
> have full control of our minds. I think this is the reason the law does not
> judge insane people, as it deems these people unable to administrate
> themselves consciously.
>
> If we do bad things due to the external factors, then it's because we let
> them affect us. We can't just tell the jury that we steal or hit someone or
> damage something because they piss us off and walk away with it. That's
> just blaming.
>
> For internal factors, such as emotion, I think if we can recognize and
> regulate them at an acceptable level, it won't cloud our judgment. For
> example, if we are so angry to the point of stabbing someone, but we do
> know it's a bad move, then we won't commit the crime. Which is why those
> who are composed will have better management of their actions and in turn
> their life.

You pointed it out quite smoothly, conceptualizing, judgment, and self-awareness work hand in hand. From the remedies given by the author, this assumption is correct. Every remedy comes with caution and guidelines. So, unless the patient comprehends the need to use it and has a positive attitude towards it, the remedy might not work as intended.

[Mukukamm30]

Yes, it's true that cognition and behavior are inter-related. Cognition encompasses acquiring knowledge and understanding through thoughts, experiences, and senses while behavioral relates to the reactions made in response to social stimuli.
So, therefore, the answer is yes. If we want to modify behavior we have to modify our thoughts because a person's behavior does not stand on its own. It's as a result of thought processes natured through experience and the senses, which goes back to cognition. An example would be people of color making a video every time they are confronted by an officer. They are behaving this way because of either their thought process and or past experience. This behavior can only change when their thought process is taught otherwise and if the experience changes.
And to answer the question I think changing only thought is not enough, you may need to change the senses and or experience because the combination of all these is what dictates behavior.

[Vine Michael]

Our mindset is what matters. We can chose to let external factors affect our emotions. I sincerely believe that we rule over our emotions. That is why when someone annoys you, you can choose to walk away.

[Howlan]

Basically it true that control over our behaviour can help us understand our stress better, however, it is not true for all the time. Many of our actions involve the subconscious and you definitely have no control over that. Our stress is the accumulation from an event that affects us negatively so attributing bad actions to cognition is not acceptable.

[Juliet+1]

I've read a few books about CBT, and I was really impressed by this approach. It resembles meditation, which I have practiced for many years, in that you use the technique to take charge of your own mind. You don't let your brain just wander about having "thoughts" and "feelings" at random.

[Chali]

Yes I totally agree. Cognition is the beginning of everything. Our behaviour is a manifestation of our thoughts. So yes changing our thought patterns could greatly influence our behaviour.

[Joseph_ngaruiya]

Juliet+1 wrote:
> I've read a few books about CBT, and I was really impressed by this
> approach. It resembles meditation, which I have practiced for many years,
> in that you use the technique to take charge of your own mind. You don't
> let your brain just wander about having "thoughts" and
> "feelings" at random.

I agree with you, changing our minds is a positive move towards preventing stress, and anxiety. Meditation is a simpler way of decluttering the mind.

[Joseph_ngaruiya]

Chali wrote:
> Yes I totally agree. Cognition is the beginning of everything. Our
> behaviour is a manifestation of our thoughts. So yes changing our thought
> patterns could greatly influence our behaviour.

The fact that we can change our behaviors by changing our thoughts is a message that has been sent to the reader vividly.

[Joseph_ngaruiya]

Vine001 wrote:
> Our mindset is what matters. We can chose to let external factors affect
> our emotions. I sincerely believe that we rule over our emotions. That is
> why when someone annoys you, you can choose to walk away.

I've also found self-control to be a good gesture. If anger and stress don't control your emotions, you can easily turn away negative thoughts of depression.

[gatuguta2030]

Our thoughts play a great role in influencing our behavior. However, there are other external factors that may determine bad behavior. I disagree that cognition influences all bad behaviors.

[Howlan]

Joseph_ngaruiya wrote:
> Juliet+1 wrote:
> > I've read a few books about CBT, and I was really impressed by this
> > approach. It resembles meditation, which I have practiced for many years,
> > in that you use the technique to take charge of your own mind. You don't
> > let your brain just wander about having "thoughts" and
> > "feelings" at random.
>
> I agree with you, changing our minds is a positive move towards preventing stress,
> and anxiety. Meditation is a simpler way of decluttering the mind.

Yeah, and not only meditation, Yoga, listening to music or even a cold shower can help you ease your mind and get control of your thoughts. It is truly remarkable how taking a break from life can help us get back into it.