Have you ever stopped to consider how your deeply held beliefs might be influencing your decisions and perception of reality, for better or for worse?

Within our subconscious mind, we all hold a wide array of values and beliefs that are a fundamental determinative force for the quality of our relationships, self-esteem, personal growth and in essence, our lives. Having the capacity to be acutely aware regarding this concept is considered to be a crucial element of self-awareness, alongside recognition of thoughts, feelings and behaviour, and yet the topic of self-awareness is often vastly underestimated in importance by many of us.

This is particularly made evident through the research of psychologists Joseph Luft and Harrington Ingham, finding that 95% of individuals believe that they are self-aware, while only 10-15% legitimately fit the criteria to be considered so. Henceforth, these findings display our predisposition to assume our level of self-awareness to be considerably greater than it is in actuality, thereby drawing attention to the importance of root-beliefs as an often unrecognised aspect of self-awareness, and in many instances the missing piece of the picture to a true comprehension of our own consciousness.

Therefore, the nature of root beliefs as a subconscious aspect of our cognition evidences how crucial the development of identification and alteration of them can be, and how they can cause us to get trapped in perpetual cycles if kept unrecognised, or can be hugely transformative for the trajectory of our life.

How do our root beliefs form?

The environmental experiences we are exposed to throughout our lifetimes are primarily responsible for the formation of our root beliefs, ranging from interpersonal relationships (such as family dynamics or peer interactions) and religious affiliation to education and media exposure. Generally, positive or negative experiences with such influences usually correlate with the development of positive or negative root beliefs. For instance, loss or traumatic experience within our lives often yield a high probability for the development of negative root beliefs, while achievements and successes, large or small can be contributing factors to the establishment of positive root beliefs.

Although the emergence of root beliefs is often environmentally determined, we have the capacity to increase the degree to which we are consciously aware of this aspect of our cognition. Developing a heightened perception of our own cognitive biases and how these result in our interpretation of events, combined with regular introspection, can allow the reassignment of the control of root belief formation away from our external environment and instead internally, into our own hands.

The detrimental impact of maladaptive root beliefs

Negative root beliefs that are not recognised within ourselves are commonly the limiting factor to individual growth, causing us to often accumulate a tremendous amount of energy and effort to do our best to change aspects of ourselves, and yet seeming to be in vain when these efforts are to no avail. Typically, beliefs regarded in this way tend to lack a sufficient grounding in reality, do not promote – or actually decrease – personal growth and development, and are altogether a potentially destructive force to the wellbeing of either ourselves or those around us, or often both.

These following examples display some common root beliefs and values that are restrictive to growth and overall quality of life:

1. Perfectionism – “I must be perfect and devoid of any flaws to have value”

· Causes: high expectations of authority figures or experiences of unconditional love.

· Negative consequences: anxiety, fear of failure, procrastination, and low self-esteem due to constant self-criticism and unrealistic standards.

2. External Validation – “my worth and value is determined by the opinions of others, not myself”

· Causes: lack of internal validation or unconditional love.

· Negative consequences: low self-esteem, people-pleasing behaviour, insecurity, and dependence on others' opinions for self-worth, leading to dissatisfaction and disconnection from personal identity.

3. Fixed Mindset – “I do not have the capacity to change or grow as an individual”

· Causes: experiences of failure or negative feedback without opportunities for growth or encouragement.

· Negative consequences: resistance to change, stagnation, avoidance of challenges, and low resilience due to a belief that abilities are fixed and cannot be developed.

4. Scarcity Mindset – “there is not enough in the world, so I must compete for resources against others”

· Causes: experiences of lack, competition, or early messages about scarcity.

· Negative consequences: fear, greed, hoarding behaviour, and a sense of never having enough, leading to stress, anxiety, and difficulty in forming trusting relationships.

5. Victim Mentality – “I am a victim of my circumstances and my problems are dictated by external circumstances ”

· Causes: experiences of trauma, abuse, or repeated setbacks without adequate support or resources.

· Negative consequences: learned helplessness, passivity, resentment, and a lack of agency or responsibility for one's own life, leading to a cycle of victimization and disempowerment.

6. Toxic Positivity – “I must remain in a constant state of happiness and positivity”

· Causes: pressure to always be positive or avoid negative emotions in order to avoid negative emotion.

· Negative consequences: emotional suppression, invalidation of genuine feelings, avoidance of real issues, and a superficial approach to self-care, leading to emotional repression and disconnection from authentic experiences.

7. Entitlement - “I am entitled to treatment that is superior to that of those around me”

· Causes: disproportionately low/high self-esteem, thus creating the belief of inferiority/superiority to others.

· Negative consequences: arrogance, selfishness, entitlement mentality, and difficulty in forming meaningful relationships due to a lack of empathy or reciprocity.

8. Materialism – “my worth and value is based upon my material possessions/wealth/status”

· Causes: hedonistic use of materialistic pursuit to escape pain, enforced by societal values.

· Negative consequences: shallow relationships, financial insecurity, environmental degradation, and a perpetual pursuit of happiness through external possessions, leading to dissatisfaction and emptiness.

9. Intellectual Superiority – “I must always be right, never wrong”

· Causes: early experiences of praise or reinforcement for being "smart" or "right."

· Negative consequences: closed-mindedness, arrogance, interpersonal conflicts, and a lack of genuine connection with others due to a need for validation and superiority.

10. Moral Superiority – “I am inherently more virtuous than those around me”

· Causes: social comparison, or experiences of being rewarded for moral behaviour.

· Negative consequences: judgmental attitudes, self-righteousness, intolerance, and conflict in relationships due to a lack of empathy and understanding for differing perspectives.

The gradual development of any of these aforementioned maladaptive beliefs may be explained through a behaviouristic approach; developing positive reinforcement with the reliance on these values to give us a temporary increase in positive emotionality, but ultimately being disproportionately detrimental in the long-term for our overall wellbeing. Pain and dissatisfaction are fundamental aspects of the fabric of human existence, and are in the vast majority of instances what catalyses our personal growth. However, by usage of these defensive mechanisms of thought, we remove the possibility of exponential development in the quality of the amalgamation of elements that ultimately make up a life well lived.

One of the most frequently described metaphorical anecdotes that illustrates this concept is that of the flea jar jump height study. Researchers placed a group of fleas inside a jar with a lid on top, and initially, when the fleas tried to jump out of the jar, they would hit the lid and fall back down. However, over time, the fleas learned to jump just short of the lid to avoid hitting it. Eventually, the researchers removed the lid from the jar, giving the fleas the opportunity to jump out freely. Surprisingly, even though they were now capable of escaping the jar without hindrance, the fleas continued to jump just short of where the lid used to be, as if they were still confined by its presence. Even more shockingly, it was found that this phenomena was genetic, as the offspring of these fleas also had their jumping height restricted to the level of the lid.

This study serves as a profound metaphor for the psychological theory of learned helplessness, first studied by Seligman and Maier in the 1960’s, illustrating how repeated experiences of failure or adversity can shape behaviour and beliefs, even in the absence of the original obstacle. Thereby, portraying the creation of maladaptive root beliefs and the limitations these can impose upon our lives, even when we are not facing adversity or the psychological stressors within our environment that may have caused the formation of these beliefs.

The transformative effect of beneficial root beliefs

Juxtaposing to the mitigating effects of unrecognised or unadjusted maladaptive root beliefs, the process of alteration of these or addition of new, beneficial root beliefs can completely allow the transcendence of the limitations that we apply to ourselves. Through the transition of a negative to positive set of root beliefs, we gain the ability to completely alter the lens we view the world through, the quality of our interpersonal relationships, the degree to which we are open to the opportunities that life has to bring and a plethora of other positive consequences.

The following display the ‘antidote’ positive manifestations to the aforementioned negative root beliefs, and the positive effects that they have within our lives:

1. Imperfectionism – “I cannot be perfect and I value myself regardless of my flaws”

Increased self-acceptance and self-esteem: Embracing imperfection fosters a sense of self-worth independent of achieving perfection, leading to greater self-acceptance and confidence.

2. Internal Validation – “my worth and value is determined by myself, not the opinions of others”

Enhanced self-reliance and authenticity: Relying on internal validation promotes authenticity and self-trust, allowing individuals to align with their true values and beliefs rather than seeking validation externally.

3. Growth Mindset – “I have the capacity to change or grow as an individual”

Increased resilience and adaptability: Embracing a growth mindset cultivates resilience in the face of challenges, as individuals perceive setbacks as opportunities for learning and growth rather than fixed limitations.

4. Abundance Mindset – “there is an abundance of opportunities and resources in the world”

Enhanced optimism and resourcefulness: Adopting an abundance mindset fosters optimism and creativity, as individuals perceive opportunities and solutions more readily, leading to proactive problem-solving and a sense of abundance in life.

5. Ownership Mentality – “I am responsible for my life, external circumstances are not”

Empowerment and accountability: Taking ownership of one's life cultivates a sense of empowerment and agency, as individuals recognize their ability to shape their own destiny through intentional actions and choices.

6. Authentic Positivity – “I allow myself to experience the full range of human emotions”

Emotional resilience and well-being: Embracing authentic positivity promotes positive and healthy emotionality by allowing individuals to acknowledge and process a full range of emotions, leading to greater emotional intelligence and coping skills.

7. Gratitude - “I am grateful for my peers and am happy to be treated equally”

Improved relationships and well-being: Practicing gratitude fosters positive relationships and overall well-being by cultivating appreciation for others and the world around us, leading to greater empathy, connection, and satisfaction in life.

8. Non-Attachment – “my happiness, worth and value are separate from my material possessions/wealth/status”

Inner peace and contentment: Embracing non-attachment promotes inner peace and contentment by freeing individuals from dependence on external factors for happiness and fulfilment, leading to greater emotional stability and satisfaction with life.

9. Intellectual Humility – “sometimes, I can be wrong, and I have the capacity to learn something from anyone”

Open-mindedness and growth: Practicing intellectual humility fosters open-mindedness and a willingness to learn from others, leading to personal and intellectual growth, as well as stronger relationships built on mutual respect and understanding.

10. Moral Humility – “I recognise the inherent dignity and morality of all individuals, and do not place my own morals or ethics above their own”

Compassion and empathy: Embracing moral humility fosters compassion and empathy towards others, promoting understanding and acceptance of diverse perspectives and values, leading to greater harmony and cooperation in society.

In addition to these, incorporation of beneficial traits as key values, such as honesty, humility, curiosity, kindness, empathy, resilience, discipline, gratitude and other associated traits yield an extremely high probability for positive changes within our lives. For me personally, a value I have consistently kept in the forefront of my mind in the past few months has been to manifest my curiosity and intuition into the external world – approaching life from a perspective of curiosity, and this has proved to be of inexplicable value. It has enabled me to break free from typical daily routines and a tunnel-vision perspective that inhibits exposure to what the world has to offer, enabling the engagement in a considerable amount of incredibly profound conversations that have allowed the fostering of new information, insights and discoveries regarding myself, others and the world around me. Through this root belief, I have taken a standpoint of learning and information gathering through interaction with the external world, and subsequently using my time in solitude to consolidate and reflect upon new information that has been discovered. After making this seemingly minor adjustment, I found that my interpersonal abilities, self-discipline, creative and critical thinking have all developed at a completely unexpected rate. Thus, displaying to me the power that even a seemingly minute change and alteration in root beliefs can have within our lives, and the positive knock on effects that this may have.

How to change root beliefs

As with the vast majority of affairs within life, an approach characterised by balance and equilibrium is of great importance. The Greek philosopher Aristotle was the key figure that brought this practice into the limelight with his theory of the golden mean – arguing that everything within life is a balance between two extremes (e.g. work/play, socialisation/solace, fairness/firmness etc.) and this indeed holds true to the critical refinement of our root beliefs, maintaining balance between positive/negative root beliefs with an internal/external focus.

In order to begin the process of refinement in regards to root beliefs, we must separate this practice into two constituent components: the implementation of beneficial root beliefs, and the purging of maladaptive root beliefs. By creating an equilibrium between these two practices, we create a golden mean that allows the trajectory of growth to be at its most exponential, as a disproportionate and imbalanced approach by focusing solely on the positive or negative aspects of our own root beliefs may actually sabotage our attempts to develop. If we are to completely disregard the cultivation of positive root beliefs, we deprive ourselves of an actual trajectory of growth by losing conscious awareness of the person we aspire to be. Conversely, if we are to dismiss negative root beliefs, we remove the opportunity to change potentially maladaptive or destructive behaviours unbecoming of the upmost versions of ourselves. Therefore, an approach of equilibrium and balance is crucial for the alteration of root beliefs.

In addition to this, an equilibrium of internal focus toward ourselves and external focus toward the world and others is a fundamental factor that determines the profundity of root belief changes, and how rapidly or permanently they occur. In this way, internal practices fundamentally serve to consolidate on our experiences in the external world, reflecting upon our thoughts, feelings, behaviour and overall internal state, and the amalgamation of these is a vital key to the pathway of self-questioning in the style of the Socratic Method (continuous questioning through the word “why” to get to the root of something, in this case, beliefs). For instance, we may come home after our day and notice we are feeling negative emotion. Using the Socratic Method, we can ask ourselves why we feel this way, discovering explanation for the negative emotion, this may be in the form of being wrong about something or receiving a negatively perceived comment from a stranger. Further questioning should ultimately lead us to an underlying root belief, in these instances, feeling as though you always need to be right or basing your value off of other’s perception of you. Thus, internal and introspective process serve the purpose of the alteration of our root beliefs, propelling ourselves to reach a point of self-actualisation.

An outward perception towards the external world is additionally beneficial, developing our own insights and epiphanies from inferences and observations on observed social behaviour of others. Through observation without judgment – often regarded as the highest order of learning – of other individuals in the world, we can reflect on the behaviours displayed by others and question them as we would ourselves (not literally, interrogating others isn’t particularly respectful). We may notice people’s dialogue being completely self-oriented, dismissing responsibility or accountability, criticising or belittling others or any other number of maladaptive behaviours caused by negative root beliefs, and thus making a conscious effort to emulate the opposite of behaviour in this regard. Oppositely, through the process of attention to positive role models or individuals performing beneficial behaviours, we can infer potential positive root beliefs fuelling that behaviour and draw this into our own network of root beliefs. Overall, amplifying the extent to which our combined root beliefs are healthy and create positive consequences for those around us and ourselves.

Conclusion

Ultimately, root beliefs are the fundamental aspect of self-awareness that prevents 85-90% of us achieving a state of being truly self-aware. We may be able to understand explanatory experiences for emotion that we may be experiencing, but the underlying reason for given experiences will continue to remain a mystery to us without conscious introspective practices and effort to alter our beliefs. In the vast majority of instances, negative beliefs are the limiting factor to personal growth and change; anchoring us to past negative experiences and acting as an opposing force to the trajectory towards best version of ourselves, while root beliefs that are beneficial in nature allow us to navigate through dire circumstances and suffering with relative ease, reducing the extent to which we face pain and suffering within life.

As stated by the saying ‘memento mori’, remember death. To change your values and thus yourself, consider the uncertainty and ultimate closeness of our own death, despite how fear inducing this may feel, and question whether your actions today were becoming of how you desire to be remembered by others. The more we consider questions of this nature that remind us of our own impermanence, the less we are afraid of death, and the less afraid we are to live our lives to the fullest and most fulfilled extent. Our friends, family members, daily activities and our health are all impermanent, as with everything in life, and it is all too easy to forget about how fortunate we are for these, but remembering the impermanence of all aspects of the world, and that everything we have, we will ultimately lose, enables us to change our values and thus our lives to the fullest degree. Would being wrong about something, or receiving a negative remark from a stranger matter if you knew this was your final day on the earth? Then what would matter?

You should find an answer involving an element of human connection, selfless behaviour, kindness, empathy, or anything else virtuous in nature, because ultimately, humans are by evolutionary design wired to be social creatures, hence why relationship quality is the fundamental predictor of human happiness, and why there is a positive correlation between happiness and selflessness. Live every day as your last, do your best to focus on something greater than yourself or something that makes the world a better place, from a random act of kindness to a stranger, to a long-term personal endeavour, and remember the incomprehensible odds of your existence. There has never been and never will be another you, and you have no idea what you truly are capable of. You just have to start by looking inside.

Beyond the Surface: The Hidden Influence of Root Beliefs