Brilliant Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, 2nd Edition

The formative years

Our internal models are very susceptible to input from other people, especially our parents. If you have been told throughout childhood that you are a capable, lovable individual you are likely to grow up seeing yourself that way. If you have been told you are ‘an idiot’ who will never amount to anything, these kinds of remarks will colour your assumptions about yourself and predispose you towards negative patterns of thought and feeling.

In CBT assumptions that are rigid, oppressive or narrow-minded, and that consequently end up making us unhappy, are usually referred to as dysfunctional assumptions. These often take the form of conditional statements (e.g. ‘If I do everything perfectly then I will be loved’) or moral imperatives ...