What Are Core Beliefs?

According to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) core beliefs are main ideas we have about how we see the world, others, or ourselves. Like all ideas, they may or not be accurate. Regardless of their accuracy, we tend to believe our core beliefs very strongly. Core beliefs feed into other beliefs we have about how the world works, and automatic thoughts we have in the moment. They shape our emotions and actions we take.

Core Beliefs Tend to Develop Early in Life

Although not always the case, most of our core beliefs tend to develop during childhood. You might be biologically predisposed to some beliefs that undergird aspects of your personality. Your household, community, culture, or sub-cultures might tend to foster some beliefs. Experiences and major events might shape your core beliefs. Some of these beliefs might serve you well and help you to live the life you want. Some might not be so helpful. Others might have been helpful for you for a period of time or in a specific situation, but no longer serve you in your current context.

The Lens of Core Beliefs

You can think of core beliefs like a pair of glasses that filter how you see the world around you. For example, rose colored glasses cause the world to look better than it is. Sunglasses cause the world to look darker than it is. Oftentimes, when we’ve been wearing the same glasses for a while, we can forget that we have them on. Slowing down to reflect on our core beliefs and the lens through which we view ourselves and the world can help to ensure we’re making well-informed decisions.

Impact of Core Beliefs

Core beliefs can shape the thoughts we have in the moment, emotions we experience, and our mental health. According to Dr. Aaron Beck (the father of Cognitive Behavior Therapy) negative core beliefs can make us vulnerable to developing anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, etc. Whereas, positive core beliefs can help to buffer us against negative impact from stressors. For example, if Maria believes the idea, I can’t do anything right, when a work project doesn’t go the way she wants, she’s more likely to feel helpless and not put in the extra effort to come up with alternative solutions. Whereas, if she holds the belief, I can have an impact on my world, in the same situation, then she might reach out to her colleagues for help and persist in trying options in order to get the project back on course. You can imagine how each of these series of beliefs and actions could have an impact on Maria and her career. They can also become a sort of “self-fulfilling prophecy.” Believing she can’t do anything right leads to her not trying to fix the work project, thereby instilling the negative belief even more. Believing she can impact her world, makes the extra effort seem more worthwhile and more likely she tries a helpful solution. Trying a potential solution makes it more likely she succeeds and strengthens her belief in her impact. Thus, core beliefs—whether positive or negative—tend to be self-reinforcing.

How to Change Your Core Beliefs

If you think you might have some negative core beliefs getting in the way of living more of the life you want, there’s good news. Our core beliefs can change. The first step in changing our beliefs is to become aware of what they might be. Take a look at some common examples of negative and positive core beliefs.

Some common examples of negative core beliefs:

☼ I’m weak

☼ Nobody likes me

☼ I’m a failure

☼ I’m bad

☼ I’m worthless

Some common examples of positive core beliefs:

☼ I have strengths and weaknesses (like everyone else)

☼ I’m generally a likable person

☼ I’ve made accomplishments

☼ I’m a human being, not perfect

☼ I’m worthy of taking care of myself

The Best Way to Change Core Beliefs

Identifying our core beliefs can be tricky. Most of the time, they operate below our awareness. Sometimes old core beliefs are “dormant” for a long time, until a major life change or stressor occurs and reactivates them. Working with a therapist trained in CBT can help you to identify your core beliefs, challenge core beliefs that are no longer serving you well, and adopt more helpful beliefs. In our opinion, one of the best ways to change your core beliefs is engaging in CBT.

References:

Beck, J. S. (2021). Cognitive behavior therapy: Basics and beyond (3rd ed.). The Guilford Press.

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