Cognitive Fusion And Career Change

24th Jan 2010 | Comments Off on Cognitive Fusion and Career Change Cognitive Fusion and Career Change I made a presentation on the good School of Life last weekend. Very gratifying it was too, with strong exchanges in regards to the nature of careers, decision making and identifying purpose. One level of debate was concerning the function of cognitive fusion in profession choice making. This is a new concept within the realm of careers, so I thought a post about this was probably overdue. Then I procrastinated some time… Cognitive fusion is outlined because the: ‘extreme attachment to the literal content of human thought that makes healthy psychological flexibility tough or inconceivable’ (Strosahl et al, 2004). To be blunt, I battle to elucidate this idea shortly and powerfully to other folks. So what do I do? I keep away from doing it. I even avoid practicing it, as a result of it makes me feel uncomfortable and a bit ineffective. This gives a clue about what cognitive defusion is, and why its evil twin, experiential avoidance, is so dangerous to profession changers. Then, my consideration was caught by Oliver Burkeman’s article in last week’s Guardian. In it, Burkeman quotes Alfred Korzybski, who based the philosophy of General Semantics and who describes language as a sort of double edged sword: To think about and performance on the earth we depend on methods of summary ideas, most obviously language. But those ideas don’t replicate the world in a straightforward means; instead, they include hidden traps that distort actuality, inflicting confusion and angst. Does this matter to career changers? I am arguing that it does. For instance, take a standard phrase similar to ‘I’m hopeless at giving shows’. Instead of seeing this for what it's â€" a subjective opinion â€" we are likely to fuse with the idea. This triggers real-life ideas and feelings, which in flip lead to avoidance of situations which invoke these feelings (experiential avoidance). What’s needed â€" and what I attempt to do with clients â€" is to create slightly area between f used language and actuality. For example, “I am a failure” turns into “I feel like a failure” or “I am having the thought that I am a failure”. This might sound insignificant, however it's a difference which permits individuals the house by which to extend their behavioural repertoire, and from there to decide on behaviour more freely consistent with their values. Anais Nin as soon as said “We see issues not as they're, but as we are.” Cognitive defusion is the first step to seeing thoughts for what they're, not as what they are saying they're. Career Change, Career Development, Developing Coaches - ACT Training, Getting Unstuck teaching Tags: ACT in teaching, cognitive fusion, Creative pondering, Flexible pondering: utilizing ACT in profession change « Should I Consider Wild and Wac... Myth 5: ‘I need to really feel more... »