1. As humans we live in our Minds

2. The Mind is its own place Milton The mind is its own place And in itself can make a hell of heaven or a heaven of hell

3. Three Functions of Mind

4. Dimensions of Mind – Thinking Feelings – Desires Dimensions of the Mind Cognitive Dimension Affective Dimension

5. Thinking – Feeling – Wanting – Action

6. Cognition & Affect

7. Four Examples – Thinking – Feeling – Action If I think that I don’t need a college degree to get a good job, I will feel satisfied with a high school education. Therefore I will not pursue higher education. If I feel humiliated in the classroom because I think I have been treated unfairly by the teacher, I will avoid actively participating in group discussions

8. Four Examples – Thinking – Feeling – Action If I think that learning should be easy, I will feel frustrated when it is difficult. Therefore I will avoid difficult learning situations If I value what I am learning, I think that it is relevant to my life. Therefore I will feel excited about learning

9. Something I feel strongly about Think of something you feel very strongly about. The powerful emotion I feel is… The thinking that leads to this powerful emotion is… As a result of the thinking and emotion, I want to…

10. Thinking Feeling Wanting Doing – arrows between them

11. Feelings – Desires  change through thinking

12. Webster’s Definition of Egocentric Egocentric (as defined by Webster’s Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary): Having little or no regard for interests, beliefs or attitudes other than one’s own; self-centered.

13. Egocentric Thinking  Humans do not naturally consider the rights and needs of others.  Humans do not naturally appreciate the point of view of others.  Humans become explicitly aware of egocentric thinking only if specially trained to do so.

14. “The world would be a lot better place if everyone else just thought like me.”

15. Two Motives of Egocentric Thinking: Get what it wants, Validate its thinking

16. Thoughts, Feelings, Desires – Rational or Irrational Chart

17. The “Successful” Ego  Though egocentric thinking is flawed, it can be successful in achieving what it is motivated to achieve.  We see many persons of power and status in the world – successful politicians, lawyers, businesspeople, and others that are skilled in getting what they want and are able to rationalize unethical behavior with great sophistication.

18. Successful Ego Examples:  Corporate Executives ensure that expected earnings of the company or overstated  Corporate Executives that spend money frivolously  Educators who justify practices by saying “It is best for students.”  “If I didn’t do it, someone else would.”  “Mine is better, because, because, because…”

19. The “Unsuccessful” Ego  Defensiveness  Irritable  Anger  Depression  Resentment  Indifference  Alienation