The Cognitive Triangle, from the Cognitive Behavioral Theory (CBT), is a diagram that depicts how our thoughts, emotions (feelings) and behaviors are all interconnected with each other, and influence one another.
Based on the work of Albert Ellis and Aaron Beck, who emphasized the need for attitude change to promote and maintain behavioral modification.
CBT is a hybrid of Cognitive Therapy and Behavior Therapy that centers around the premise that behavior is maintained in its consequences; recognizing that our interpretations of other peoples behavior affects the way we respond to them.
Can you think of an example of The Cognitive Triangle at work? How do your feelings influence your thoughts, and in turn affect your behavior? Hint: Think about what happens when you become nervous or anxious? What kind of thoughts arise? Does it hinder or increase your performance? Share your experiences!
Example Scenario: It’s the biggest basketball game of the season. We’re in the last quarter with 30 seconds left in the game, and down by two. The coach yells my name to go in, and as I run by she tells me we need a big defensive stop and score right here! I kneel down at the table waiting to be called in the game, and this is what begins to happen…
(I Feel) •Worried •Anxious •Scared •Nervous
(I begin to think) “What if I mess up?” “What if I miss the shot and lose the game for us?” “I don’t want to turn the ball over, or foul.”
(What could happen) •I let my nerves get the best of me, and I shrink into myself. I let my thoughts about the situation dictate my actions.
(What I do instead) •I perform a ritual, like taking deep breathes, to create space in my thoughts to decrease my feelings of anxiety. •I ask myself: “Have I prepared?” “Have I practiced?”, and •I remind myself that the coach is trusting in me in these final seconds, the nervousness I feel is just my body preparing to perform.
Savory House 