Sunday, July 25, 2021
To say that I have taken a long time to resume my post writing would be an understatement. Has it been over half a year since my last online publication. So as to redress my decline in posts, I will start writing more often. Needless to say that the motivation I have towards keeping this blog alive has not been the same this year as it has been in previous ones. Without further ado, I will proceed with the topic for today: "Dichotomous thinking"
Before we start nonetheless, it would be wise to understand what a dichotomy is first. According to the Cambridge Online Dictionary a dichotomy is: "The difference between two completely opposite ideas or things." Case in point, a dichotomy between what people say and what they do. Back to our main point, Dichotomous thinking, otherwise known as "Black and White thinking" refers to the following: Thinking in extremes or absolutes regarding everyday situations. For instance, Mary is having a job interview for a sales rep position she wants to take at a local mall. Everything seems to be fine. However, she notices that she forgot to mention one of the places where she had worked before when asked about her experience. Even though the aforesaid is a minor detail, she takes it to heart and believes her potential employer might take note of this. Mary decides to leave in the middle of the interview and excuses herself. Not only did she lose the opportunity to find a new job, she also limited herself by assuming a minor slip would affect her overall assessment.
This sort of behavior can have serious repercussions in a person's personal and professional development. Thus, the need to seek help from a mental health specialist when you feel your life is getting out of control due to this condition. Having weekly therapy sessions and making use of cognitive behavioral therapy should be enough to tackle this issue. Our mind is incredibly powerful. It can either lift us up or it can bring us down. It all depends on how much we take care of our emotional and mental health. In most cases, not having an "in-between" is not good whatsoever. To illustrate my point, let us consider the following situation: If a person commits a crime such as a robbery, they should be punished. There is not an "in the middle". On the other hand, what if a teacher has a student who does not show up for the final exam of the semester owing to the death of a loved one? Should he fail such student? Or should the school and he give the student another chance to take the test when she recovers emotionally?
Lastly, I would say that we all need help at some point. It does not always work to have a conversation with a relative or friend to deal with a condition such as "All or nothing reasoning". Oftentimes it takes the help of a therapist to put us back on track. Having the right mindset can be a great asset towards the pursuit of our ultimate goal. Only by keeping both our mind and body working at 100%, will we be able to realize our goals. I will leave by quoting Obi-Wan from Star Wars: "Only a Sith deals in Absolutes."
Sources:
- Therapy in a Nutshell YouTube channel
- Dichotomous Thinking definition | Psychology Glossary | alleydog.com
- Cambridge Dictionary | English Dictionary, Translations & Thesaurus