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Core beliefs

Luiz Guilherme Leite AMARAL1

As a member of a very educated family, I was never forced to believe that

some kind of entity monitors my life and rewards (or punishes) me for my behavior.

As a matter of fact, my parents are somewhat religious and I learned catholic prayers,

but not as an attempt of conversion; it was rather one more element of the education

that I had.

I find very tricky, though, to talk about myself and the cores beliefs that I may

possess, because in one hand I would be analyzing myself and I don’t think that is the

right way to come about with these ideas. On the other hand, I would sound

obnoxious since I have a clear perspective of who I am and where I belong. Anywho,

the listed provided in this assignment brings some examples I might relate to.

First: “I am an imposter”. That sounds like someone really insecure, or who is

really aware of this “condition” and do not want to get caught. Sometimes I feel I am

an imposter when I can’t solve a problem I was supposed to, or weak, but that doesn’t

change who I am entirely. The same thing happens when I think “I am under-rated by

people around me”. That doesn’t sound true. Of all my closest friends, I am the only

one in a Master’s in Communication Program, I am the one with a government

scholarship, but that also doesn’t mean that they are under-rated either. It is just a

matter of what paths you choose in your life.

Statements like “I am honest”, “I am polite” and “I always keep my word”

sound much more like a basic rules for living in society that inner values or core

beliefs you may cherish. The way I see those statements is that they rely much more

on how you wander among your peers than have a structural belief of your character

but lack the ability to perform those actions. These might be involved with being

good, doing what is right and other ethical parameters, but I do not see them solely as

core beliefs.

On the other hand, statements such as “I am unattractive”, “I am stupid” and “I

am a phony” sound like a psychological disorder much more than a flaw of character

or core belief. How can I think I am unattractive if I had several girlfriends and today                                                                                                                1  Regular  student  on  the  Master’s  in  Communication  and  Culture  Program  at  University  of  Sorocaba,  Brazil.  Ministry  of  Education  CAPES  scholarship  granted  in  March  2015.  

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I am married? How can I think I am a stupid if I belong to a stratum that is accounted

to less that 5% of my country’s population? How can I be a phony if I use too little to

pass by? That doesn’t seem like the right way to think of myself. Again, this might

belong to people with different disorders, or people who need constant positive

feedback and reinforcement, but I do not think that I qualify for this. I am pretty

aware of who I am.