Selective Abstraction
In my cognitive distortions post I mentioned I wanted to discuss different types of distortions.
Today it’s Selective Abstraction, also known as mental filtering.
I remember working on a project for someone I respected. I wanted them to see not only my abilities but also how hard I was willing work. From my perspective I went above and beyond. I spent hours developing a concept and then I created documents and presentations to explain my thoughts, with a plan for execution. I was very proud of my work but extremely nervous to present. We scheduled a meeting and I went for it. I practiced what I was going to say, which gave me the confidence I needed. At the end my audience had a smile, which led me to believe things went well. In conclusion I answered some questions and I was excited. That was until, they mentioned a few updates/changes they wanted to make. From there it went all down hill. Why you ask? Selective Abstraction. Selective Abstraction means you selectively draw conclusions based on one part instead of considering the whole. See, I allowed the mere suggestion of changes to distort my whole outlook on not only the success the meeting, but also my presentation. I went home feeling utterly dejected, like I bombed 💣 the presentation and my idea was rejected.
Mental Filterning had me place too much weight on their requests and not enough on how things really went. That should have been my focus but it wasn’t.
I used to think I was weird, my outlook always seemed to be so negative. Now I realize I’m not the only one. Even more I’ve noticed this in the bible.
Now I must say the circumstances in this scripture are in no way as petty as a presentation, which pales in comparison. It involves Jeremiah being whipped and shamed after prophesying about the Babylonian invasion. Of course the circumstances are more serious but selective abstraction is still there, even in scripture.
“Why, oh why, did I ever leave that womb? Life’s been nothing but trouble and tears, and what’s coming is more of the same”
Sounds harsh right? What could be so bad that he’d wish he’d never been born. He’d just had to tell the King his family line would be destroyed. For that he was whipped and shamed. But, the funny thing is, five verses earlier Jeremiah seemed filled with faith and hope, exalting & praising God.
“Sing to God! All praise to God! He saves the weak from the grip of the wicked.”
Sounds familiar, vacillating between happy and depressed. At one point he was hopeful God would avenge him and soon after wishing he’d never been born. How is this selective abstraction? See Jeremiah knew the Lord was trying to warn the King, wanting him to turn away from the worship of idols. Jeremiah saw this prophecy and others as an act of love. But he struggled in dealing with aftermath. Frustration of following God and it resulting in pain and shame would make many have questions. But he took this, understandably excruciating pain, and turned it into a referendum of his birth. Now who am I to say that was too drastic. I’m not, I’m just sure Jeremiah, for a second, let go of seeing God’s love, His saving the weak, and His trust in him to warn the king and allowed a cognitive distortion catch him.
How quickly things change when your thought patterns are poor?
So why do this, why use scripture to make my point? Why? Because it helped me know that even the heroes of scripture had human issues. Not just the “typical” sin issues, but also the other ones I was familiar with. I needed to see that it I wasn’t an alien because I was struggling mentally. Jeremiah is considered one of the major prophets in the Bible, he was obedient to the Lord even in this mental state.
What does this mean for us believers?
There is HOPE for our thought lives too.
#thoughtlifeco
