We have already analyzed: ABC Scheme and realized that our emotions and behavior (C) depend not on the events that happen to us (A), but on our thoughts and beliefs ( C) One of the four irrational beliefs - demand/must. In this article we will also analyze one of the most common irrational beliefs (IB) - a global assessment of oneself and/or others. “I’m so stupid, a complete idiot, the last loser, a worthless creature! I never nothing works! I'm just pathetic."Such statements are examples of the manifestation of global assessments. What is an assessment? An assessment is a conclusion, an inference based on some data (both objective and not so objective). An assessment is not necessarily what something bad and inadequate. For example, we can evaluate our behavior: “The fact that I watched TV shows all day today and did nothing useful is not cool, I need to stop.” But we can also evaluate not our behavior, but ourselves “entirely” (globally). And this is already a disaster. “I’ve been lying around all day again and haven’t done anything on my to-do list. I’m hopeless (pathetic, worthless and in general).” Global assessments (GA) are irrational because we, based on one event, spread our conclusion for everything that was and for everything that will be. Imagine a schoolchild. His diary is full of D's. So he's stupid, right? No, he's not. Ignorance of the school curriculum does not make a person globally stupid (nor does ignorance of anything else). Moreover, by calling a person stupid, we automatically mean: “You will never change.” We put a mark, a cross on a person. But doesn't our student have the opportunity to improve his grades? Of course it does. Global assessments simplify everything until it meets certain conditions. We can also call GO a conditional valuation. As long as I meet such and such standards, I am valuable. And when I don’t, I’m the last piece of shit. Self-esteem, which is so fashionable to talk about, essentially implies the same concept. And it doesn’t matter whether self-esteem is high, low or average. If it is conditional, it is in any case harmful. Let us remember Arthur’s case from previous articles: Arthur thinks: “If I do my job poorly, then I am a bad photographer, a worthless specialist and I will never become a good photographer.” Arthur’s value (for himself Arthur) depends on how he does his job. He has no room for error. Error = Bad specialist / photographer / person. What does this kind of thinking lead to? Does it help Arthur develop in his profession? No. It only adds to the fear and promotes avoidance behavior. It is as if Arthur is walking on a tightrope, where one wrong move will lead to him falling into a pit of failures from which he will never escape. How can we not be afraid? But let's look at it soberly.1. Is it possible that Arthur screws up and does a bad photo shoot? Even though he has studied and trained hard, he (like the rest of us) is not immune to failure and can screw up.2. If Arthur does a poor job with the order, does that mean that he is a bad photographer and that he will never become a good photographer? Not a fact. People don't always succeed in everything the first time. Sometimes we screw up. But we can learn from our mistakes and become better. The one who does nothing makes no mistakes. And masters often become those who have made a lot of mistakes. To be fair, “I’m a bad photographer” is not exactly GO, because this judgment may be true. Making such a conclusion, a person will not necessarily experience dysfunctional negative emotions. But often these conclusions are erroneous and associated with a global assessment: I am a bad specialist = a worthless person3. If Arthur did a bad job with the order, does that mean that he is a bad, worthless person? Of course not. Can a person's worth be determined by how well he does his job? People are much more complex. It is impossible to evaluate them “in their entirety.” They have many characteristics, qualities, abilities (including potential ones), etc. It is impossible to describe a person in one word ("dumb", "smart",)