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5 years ago my therapist handed me a sheet of paper titled "Checklist of Cognitive Distortions." Ten negative modes of thought. I didn't immediately grasp how i

5 years ago my therapist handed me a sheet of paper titled "Checklist of Cognitive Distortions." Ten negative modes of thought. I didn't immediately grasp how ingrained each one was in my mindset and habits - it took years and I'm still learning. And one thing I've learned is that there is a wide incentive to embed cognitive distortions in the news, stories, and attitudes which comprise culture. Telling people they are victims of more powerful forces beyond their individual control. Victimhood mentality is the worst mindset a person can have. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemies.

yobbo 5y ago
> Telling people they are victims of more powerful forces beyond their individual control. First, being victim of forces beyond their control is true for almost everyone. Secondly, it's probably more healthy for people to not understand or believe it.
- yourenotsmart 5y ago
  I find it a bit discouraging that the scientific consensus on what's a proper or wrong belief is entirely subject to cultural circumstances local in time and place. Displace any individual considered healthy about 5 decades back or forward and they'll appear unstable. Make it 5 centuries and they'll basically appear fully psychotic (and not just because they just travelled through time).
- orzig 5y ago
  As with so many things, the answer probably lies in the middle. Any of us could be killed by lightning at any time, but 99.99% of us have the power to avoid being struck by a train. Most outcomes, good and bad, lay between those extremes.
- atoav 5y ago
  > First, being victim of forces beyond their control is true for almost everyone. I think this misunderstands the crucial difference here. The phenomenom described is not about power dynamics, it is about storytelling: Many don't even care to investigate whether there are really powers there who are at fault for their suffering. In fact it is quite the opposite: Because they feel special as individuals they cannot stand the idea that some powerful force damages them as mere collateral, because this would mean to admit to be small and insignificant. At least I'd say this is the conclusion they would typically reach after looking into the real causal relationships behind the powers and their lives based on facts. However, it might be much more comforting to tell yourself a story in which "they" target you or your people specifically and intentionally. The more evil you can paint "them" the better, because it makes your cause more noble and heroic. Telling yourself these kind of stories might be comforting, but cements the role you are playing within that society: Forever a sucker, a playball of forces you cannot comprehend, easy to manipulate, gullible, afraid, angry. Healthy as long as you don't march to Russia like my Nazi-grandfather did when he was 16.
TomSwirly 5y ago
The one thing that you have learned is false. Things have gone well for me but in my longer life I've seen many many people who were legitimately "victims of more powerful forces beyond their individual control". In America, the zipcode of your birth determines your future income far more than your performance in school, for example. Just on my Facebook yesterday, someone I'd known for twenty years died of cancer, leaving two young kids. She'd led a normal life without any bad habits like tobacco or alcohol and it was simply bad luck - powerful forces beyond her control. Compassionate people understand that the real world is difficult and uncertain even for dedicated and hard-working people. The whole "victim mentality" is almost always a symptom of other far-right beliefs that would be less palatable if spoken out loud.
- mythrwy 5y ago
  Control over our circumstances is always by degree. In other words, it's not binary.
lazyant 5y ago
this list or similar? https://arfamiliesfirst.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Cognitive-Distortions.pdf https://arfamiliesfirst.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Cogni...

yobbo 5y ago

> Telling people they are victims of more powerful forces beyond their individual control. First, being victim of forces beyond their control is true for almost everyone. Secondly, it's probably more healthy for people to not understand or believe it.

yourenotsmart 5y ago
I find it a bit discouraging that the scientific consensus on what's a proper or wrong belief is entirely subject to cultural circumstances local in time and place. Displace any individual considered healthy about 5 decades back or forward and they'll appear unstable. Make it 5 centuries and they'll basically appear fully psychotic (and not just because they just travelled through time).
orzig 5y ago
As with so many things, the answer probably lies in the middle. Any of us could be killed by lightning at any time, but 99.99% of us have the power to avoid being struck by a train. Most outcomes, good and bad, lay between those extremes.
atoav 5y ago
> First, being victim of forces beyond their control is true for almost everyone. I think this misunderstands the crucial difference here. The phenomenom described is not about power dynamics, it is about storytelling: Many don't even care to investigate whether there are really powers there who are at fault for their suffering. In fact it is quite the opposite: Because they feel special as individuals they cannot stand the idea that some powerful force damages them as mere collateral, because this would mean to admit to be small and insignificant. At least I'd say this is the conclusion they would typically reach after looking into the real causal relationships behind the powers and their lives based on facts. However, it might be much more comforting to tell yourself a story in which "they" target you or your people specifically and intentionally. The more evil you can paint "them" the better, because it makes your cause more noble and heroic. Telling yourself these kind of stories might be comforting, but cements the role you are playing within that society: Forever a sucker, a playball of forces you cannot comprehend, easy to manipulate, gullible, afraid, angry. Healthy as long as you don't march to Russia like my Nazi-grandfather did when he was 16.

TomSwirly 5y ago

The one thing that you have learned is false. Things have gone well for me but in my longer life I've seen many many people who were legitimately "victims of more powerful forces beyond their individual control". In America, the zipcode of your birth determines your future income far more than your performance in school, for example. Just on my Facebook yesterday, someone I'd known for twenty years died of cancer, leaving two young kids. She'd led a normal life without any bad habits like tobacco or alcohol and it was simply bad luck - powerful forces beyond her control. Compassionate people understand that the real world is difficult and uncertain even for dedicated and hard-working people. The whole "victim mentality" is almost always a symptom of other far-right beliefs that would be less palatable if spoken out loud.

mythrwy 5y ago
Control over our circumstances is always by degree. In other words, it's not binary.

lazyant 5y ago

this list or similar? https://arfamiliesfirst.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Cognitive-Distortions.pdf https://arfamiliesfirst.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Cogni...