Our mind makes frameworks to understand and interpret the world. Each of these frameworks is called a “schema.” The first time that a child sees a dog, their mind forms a schema of the animal “dog.” As the mind receives more information about the dogs, this schema expands, and finally, it is established as a frame through which all the dogs in the world are seen, recognized and understood. As we grow up, we develop zillions of schemas with which we interact with the world. These schemas are dynamic; they expand and change with new information. They contain both “what” and “how” information. In more technical terms they are both declarative and procedural.
Not all of these schemas are of the same importance. Some of them turn into deeply held ideas about our essential way of existence in the world. These schemas are called “core beliefs.” They are the center of all our belief system. Core beliefs are fundamental beliefs that we have about ourselves, about other people and about the world. These three aspects of our core beliefs usually interact and provide us with rules, assumptions, orders, demands and judgements. They are the most central of our beliefs and process and interpret all the input we get from the world. They determine what we notice, what we focus on and what we remember of our life experiences. We see the world and act according to our core beliefs.
The core beliefs are not just cognitive units. They contain not only opinions but also emotions, memories and thoughts. Many times they are very emotion-laden. Core beliefs create habitual patterns of thinking, feeling, behaving, acting and reacting. These patterns are significant determinants of how we exist on this planet. If our core beliefs are adaptive and healthy life is good. If they are maladaptive and unhealthy life sucks. Put it another way, if there is any chronic problem in the way we think, feel and behave, the odds are that part of our core beliefs needs re-evaluation and re-adjustment, no matter what the etiological roots of the problems are.
Many of our core beliefs are the products of our childhood. Positive or negative childhood experiences, most of the time, make some of our deepest core beliefs. If we accept the concept of a dynamic unconscious mind for human beings, it will not be unjustified to assume that a substantial proportion of our core beliefs, particularly those coming from adverse, unfavourable childhood experiences, are unconscious and drive us in ways of which we are not entirely aware.
Therefore, understanding one’s core beliefs and changing the maladaptive ones into healthier beliefs is an indispensable part of any “change” process. It seems that the famous inscription on the Temple of Apollo in Delphi, “Know thyself,” is meaningless without unfolding the conscious and unconscious core beliefs during the journey of self-discovery.
