Limiting beliefs are a set of beliefs that, based on certain experiences in our life, are built establish within us, becoming normative statutes that regulate our conduct and proceed in our day to day. The problem with these beliefs, limiting as their name indicates, is that they are built on falsehoods that are taken for truths and considerably limit our daily activities.
In the following Psychology-Online article, we are going to talk about what are limiting beliefs, the types that exist, how to identify them and, finally, how to go about eliminating them and modify them for others that are more constructive and that allow our better development.
Index
- What are limiting beliefs
- Types of limiting beliefs with examples
- How to identify limiting beliefs
- How to eliminate them and change them for healthier ones
What are limiting beliefs.
Limiting beliefs are those beliefs that a person has about themselves and about the way they act in the world that limit their daily actions and their personal growth and development
What are the causes of limiting beliefs? Sometimes limiting thoughts arise from traumatic experiences derived from very unpleasant specific events (accident, loss of a loved one, natural disasters, assaults, etc.) or by the repetition in time of any negative experiences (physical, verbal or psychological abuse, authoritarian or negligent educational styles, etc.). In other cases, however, they are derived from the parental educational style and the incorporation of family, cultural and social (these are the cases of racial or gender prejudice, behaviors that are obedient to family functions and patterns, etc.).
In this article you can see How beliefs are formed.
It is from these kinds of experiences that the person unconsciously incorporates a series of messages and beliefs about who she is and how she should act with others and in the world, limiting her behavior to opinions established by these internal regulations that prevent the optimal and healthy development of the person and the most spontaneous expression of it and natural. Next, we will look at the types and some examples of limiting beliefs.
Types of limiting beliefs with examples.
Derived from these types of experiences, there are many types of limiting beliefs. These are beliefs of a very varied nature that, together, limit the spontaneous and integral development of the person by limiting themselves or their open relationship with others. Different classifications of limiting beliefs can be made. Let's see what the 3 types of limiting beliefs with examples:
Disabling beliefs
These are negative beliefs about oneself or about others that disable the development of certain actions or the settlement of positive and constructive thoughts or emotions.
- For instance: "I cannot / can", "I am not worth / are worth", "I am not worth / deserve", and so on.
Transgenerational beliefs
They consist of beliefs that are incorporated as "truths" automatically and unconsciously and that are derived from beliefs assumed by our family system. These beliefs transmit to the person a message similar to "I must carry out" x "behaviors, customs and habits of life because they are the ones that I incorporated from my family and they must be valid".
- For instance, "we are less valid than others because we do not have money" or, on the contrary, "we are worth more than others because of our economic position", "make me the victim will help me to receive affection "," being aggressive will allow me to get what I need "," we will never be anything "," we have no right to anything good ", etc.
Social and / or cultural beliefs
They are beliefs of social and / or cultural origin that, in the same way, distort reality, creating certain limiting beliefs regarding our interpersonal or social behavior. Within these limiting thoughts would enter all kinds of ethnic, racial, cultural or gender biases.
How to identify limiting beliefs.
How do I know what my limiting beliefs are? An easy way to identify limiting beliefs is to bear in mind that they reduce our range of possibilities in terms of the life experiences that allow us to live. The beliefs that limit us regarding our relationships with others (for example, social prejudices) do not allow us to relate in a cordial and spontaneous way with all the persons. Similarly, limiting beliefs about ourselves do not allow us to live determined type of experiences for considering them "invalid" or for considering ourselves as "not valid ". In both cases, limiting thoughts always generate negative and unpleasant thoughts and feelings that, in any case, make us feel bad.
This is why an easy way to identify limiting beliefs is find out what situations in our life make us feel bad for, from this initial identification, look for what kinds of thoughts and beliefs underlie to such negative feelings.
- For example, I find that I always get nervous when I have to stay in a swimsuit on the beach or in the pool. If I analyze what thoughts exist in my mind in those moments I will surely find some similar to "I don't have a perfect body and they will make fun of me". As a limiting belief that governs these thoughts is "anyone who has a perfect body is worth it." This belief will limit my personal natural behavior and, in turn, prevent me from cordially relating to certain people who do not fit into the "perfect body" pattern, since I will not accept them as valid and I will judge them.
How to eliminate them and change them for healthier ones.
How to get rid of limiting beliefs and change them to empowering beliefs? The process of eliminating limiting beliefs and exchanging healthier ones involves the following steps. Let's see one of the exercises to change limiting beliefs:
- The identification of the situations in which we feel with negative feelings of suffocation, fear, feeling of inferiority, etc.
- The analysis of the thoughts that underlie these emotional sensations.
- Delimitation and awareness of the belief that sustains these thoughts.
- Disprove said belief by creating contrary situations that make it evident and allow us to feel better. Here we explain the Irrational Ideas Discussion Technique.
- The practice and incorporation progressive new positive and constructive situations that belie our irrational beliefs
This method will allow us to replace limiting beliefs with new ones that will allow us to develop in a way more in line with our true human potential.
This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
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