Exercise: “Origins of Our Beliefs”

To complete this exercise, all you need is a sheet of paper, a pen, and about an hour of free time. This exercise (and similar techniques) are used by gestalt therapists to help you:

• Eliminate harmful or useless life scripts that have been imposed on you from the outside world.

When we allow the views and attitudes of others (introjects) into our inner world, we always need a filter. This exercise serves as that filter. In fact, it’s more like an antivirus program for your mind, which you should run from time to time to clear out all the spam, phishing links, and other malicious programs that slow down your life and reduce its quality.

How to Do the Exercise

1. Think and write down three thoughts that seem deeply personal and truly your own. The topics of these thoughts can vary widely. For example:
   • Human nature (e.g., “People’s character is in their genes,” “People copy their parents,” “People are good,” “People are bad,” “People are made for…”)
   • Men
   • Women
   • Children
   • Youth
   • Old age
   • Your country
   • Work
   • Love
   • Sex
   • Health
   • Illness
   • Wealth
   • Poverty
   • Travel

   The topic doesn’t have to be defined. Just write down three thoughts or maxims that you consider your own, that you agree with, or that simply come to mind first.

2. For each thought, reflect on the following questions and write down your answers:
   • How strongly do I believe this?
   • How did this idea get into my head?
   • Why do I hold this point of view?
   • What would have to happen for me to start thinking differently?
   • Which of these three thoughts triggers the strongest emotions in me?

   Let’s expand on some of these questions:

   • For question 2 (“How did this idea get into my head?”), consider the following sources:
     • Works of art and literature
     • Movies
     • Television and other media
     • Advertising
     • Parents
     • Peers
     • Teachers
     • Older friends
     • Religious books and leaders
     • Stories from acquaintances
     • Your own personal experience
   • For question 4 (“What would have to happen for me to start thinking differently?”), reflect on how your views might change if you:
     • Were born in a different era
     • Lived in a completely different country
     • Grew up in a different cultural or social environment
     • Were 20 years younger (or older) than you are now
     • Were a different gender

Finishing the Exercise: Day Two

This “second day” is optional, but recommended for a more complete, three-dimensional view of the issue.

Take the three statements you worked on during the first day and present them to several acquaintances or even people you barely know. “Interview” them to hear a different, possibly even completely opposite point of view, along with unexpected arguments supporting it.

Life constantly brings us into contact with people who have a worldview very different from our own. Listening to their arguments and stories can sometimes shock us, make us want to defend our own perspective, and strengthen our own reasoning. Other times, someone else’s opinion may strike us as an insight, prompting us to expand our worldview with new ideas and beliefs we’ve just encountered.

This exercise is especially useful for those who haven’t encountered anything like this in a long time—whose worldview hasn’t been challenged by anyone’s opposite or “shocking” beliefs for quite a while.

Only by stepping out of your “comfort zone” in this way can you give yourself a chance for self-development—while taking virtually no risks.