Cognitive Distancing

Notes

Cognitive distancing is when we try to separate between the external and our inner environment, and it is based on the assumption that in every moment we are more than just one thing Binary Thinking one-dimensional being, that an external observer can't grasp our entirety just by looking at our actions, so why should we think that our actions are the only criteria for defining ourselves? Signaling

Usually this is a tool used to bring Clarity and Objectivism to our Subjective Reality, and reduce the influence of External Influence. Cognitive distancing helps us put a wedge between what we are experiencing and our inner world, to Zoom out and see things more clearly.

By trying to separate between harmful actions that might have happened and our identity, we might be able to heal by understanding that these actions don't define us, we don't have to act this way forever, and that we can change Growth Mindset. This is similar to how Meditation asks us to treat our thoughts as nothing more than things that pop into our mind, and disappear as quickly as they came.

In contrast, constantly seeking for Cognitive Alignment, the attempt to create an unbreakable bridge between identity and action can only lead to a Fixed Mindset, where we can't escape being any different than who we are now.

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Overview

🔼Topic:: behavioral psychology (MOC) ◀Origin:: 🔗Link::