Avvi's Book Quotes

Psychology, motivation, humour and other stuff. I'm posting these quotes mainly to have them all in one place for easier access and navigation. If you want to know my personal opinion about a topic, ask; otherwise, assume that the quotes here - particularly those posted under illness-related tags - are the opinion of the author(s) quoted, and having posted them doesn't mean I necessarily agree.

[avvisbookshelf]

Types of cognitive errors specific to intrusive thoughts and OC(P)D

Overimportance of Thoughts and the Need to Control Them

This cognitive error occurs when we conclude that simply because we have a particular thought, it must be meaningful. Similarly, we may conclude that simply because we are thinking about something, this means that it will actually happen. If we have this mistaken belief about the importance of thoughts, we may start to believe that we have to exercise complete control over all our thoughts (which (...) is doomed to fail).

Overestimating Danger

People with OCD often overestimate both the likelihood and the dangerousness of things that may happen. They often view a situation as threatening until they are guaranteed that it is safe. Most people without OCD, on the other hand, assume that a situation is safe unless it is proven to be dangerous.

Intolerance of Uncertainty

Perhaps because people with OCD tend to overestimate the likelihood of danger, they often have trouble making decisions in uncertain or ambiguous situations, then subsequently question whether their decision was correct. Several researchers have found a connection between perfectionism, concern over mistakes, doubts about actions, and OCD symptoms.

Perfectionism

Several studies of OCD have found a connection between inability to tolerate uncertainty and perfectionism. For instance, OCD sufferers believe that their actions must be perfect if they are to avoid criticism from others.

Excessive Responsibility

If you believe that you have the primary power and responsibility to make sure bad things don’t happen, then you probably commit this cognitive error. Since many, if not most, outcomes in life are beyond our control, excessive responsibility will often lead to guilt when bad things happen to us or our loved ones (even when in reality we had no control to avert these things).

From Lee Baer, “The Imp of the Mind”

[avvisbookshelf]

Anxiety and guilt over violations of moral standards are mediated by...

...some of the same limbic circuits that mediate high reactivity and inhibition [this is the behavioral description of what we usually refer to as “shyness” and discomfort around new situations and especially changes - LB]. Thus, inhibited children might be more susceptible to these moral emotions and biologically prepared to feel more intense guilt or anxiety over asocial behavior. If such children grow up in home environments that insist on obedience, they should show signs of unusually strict standards on the behaviors that their families regard as inappropriate.

Jerome Kagan, “Galen’s Prophecy”, as quoted in Lee Baer, “The Imp of the Mind”

[avvisbookshelf]

Characteristics of Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD)

* Overtly conscientious and inflexible about moral and ethical issues * Preoccupied with details or rules (”loses the forest for the trees”) * Perfectionism interferes with getting things done * Excessively devoted to work * Trouble throwing worthless things away * Insists that others submit to their way of doing things, and tolerates no deviation * Lack of generosity * Rigid and stubborn

From Lee Baer, “The Imp of the Mind"

[avvisbookshelf]

[G]rant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

Reinhold Niebuhr

[avvisbookshelf]

How many times have you put off a task only to realise it wasn’t so bad once you got started?

Cleaning, exercising, and even writing are often difficult at first. It is a bit like swimming in the a cold lake. The water is deliciously invigorating but, for most, the initial temperature shock is an effective barrier against reaping the subsequent reward. By focusing solely on the initial jump off the dock, you can plunge in and, after a few intense seconds, enjoy yourself. An extremely short-term or mini-goal, then, is excellent for busting through such motivational surface tension. Ten-minute goals are an application of this technique, such as the ten-minute clean-up around the house. (...) Having broken through the motivational surface tension and immersed yourself in the project, you, like most, will opt to continue.

[avvisbookshelf]

To sharpen role boundaries between clashing life domains, typically family and work, we need to keep the demarcation lines pristine. (...) You might also include a transition ritual to help you move from one domain to another. (...) These environmental cues will fence off distracting temptations, allowing you to truly be in each place.

Piers Steel, “The Procrastination Equation”

[avvisbookshelf]

Staying true to your goals can be a time-limited offer, requiring you to act before temptation overcomes you.

You first need to identify your temptations, what distracts you when you should be working. (...) After identifying your temptations, you have three options about what to do about them. Take your pick.

Bondage: Put these temptations out of reach or at least far away. For example, erase your video games or disconnect your Internet connection. Remove the battery from your mobile phone or unplug your television set.

Satiation: Satisfy your needs before they get too intense and distract you from your work. Ironically, you can often work harder if you first schedule in some time for leisure.

Poison: Add disincentives to your temptations to make them sufficiently unattractive. For example, a monetary bet with someone else that you won’t give in to your temptation can be applied to almost anything.

[avvisbookshelf]

Make a list of the ways you habitually procrastinate, and post it where you work. Avoid these pre-identified risky situations. For example, if text messaging is your problem, turn off your mobile or smart phone before you get to work.

Piers Steel, “The Procrastination Equation”

[avvisbookshelf]

Accomplishment creates confidence which creates effort resulting in more accomplishments.

Piers Steel, “The Procrastination Equation”

[avvisbookshelf]

We fritter away the days with the small pleasures of television and computer games, of Internet surfing and Sudoku puzzles and end up with nothing to show for it. This is a recipe for regret. In the short term, we regret what we have to do, but in the long term, we regret what we don’t get done. Inaction causes us the greater suffering. Not to have done, not to have tried, to have put it off – this is part of the human condition, so we all suffer from it to some degree.

Piers Steel, “The Procrastination Equation”

[avvisbookshelf]

Any time the urge strikes, we now have the capability to act on it impulsively, and that creates a much greater challenge for us than was ever the case before. It’s only natural that we are having trouble with debt.

Stuart Vyse, “Going Broke: Why Americans Can’t Hold On to Their Money”

[avvisbookshelf]

Asking a thirsty person a question such as what drink they would like now primarily activates the limbic system. This is the beast of the brain (‘the horse’), the origin of pleasure and of fear, of reward and of arousal. Questions about future benefits, however, activate the prefrontal context (‘the rider’). Though studies are still refining the exact subsection of the prefrontal cortex that is involved, the consensus is that this is willpower’s throne.

Piers Steel, “The Procrastination Equation”

[avvisbookshelf]

Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout of some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one was not driven by some demon that one can neither resist nor understand.

George Orwell

[avvisbookshelf]

Expected Utility Theory

Figure out how expectancy and value fit together. To this end, we can tap into an entire family of formulations called Expectancy Theories, the most famous being Expected Utility Theory. (...) Expected Utility Theory forms the basis of mainstream economics; every successful gambler adheres to its rule. It proposes that people make their decisions by multiplying expectancy and value together. That is:

Expectancy x Value

[avvisbookshelf]

After a series of attempts that all result in failure, you may begin to expect failure even before you start. High expectancy forms the core of self-confidence and optimism: but if you start believing your goals aren’t achievable, you stop effectively pursuing them.

Piers Steel, “The Procrastination Equation”

[avvisbookshelf]

Narcissists are only aware of what’s outside of them insofar as it affects them. They feel neither love nor compassion nor rational thought. They’ve built an invisible wall around them. They are everything, and the world is nothing. Or rather: they are the world.

Erich Fromm, “The Art of Being”

[avvisbookshelf]

The ultimate goal of having is to have yourself. “I have myself” means you’re full of who you are and what you have. The true exponent of this personality type is the narcissist. He’s full only of himself; he transforms the whole world in something he owns. He’s not interested of anything and anyone outside of himself, except for objects that he can add to his own possessions.

Erich Fromm, “The Art of Being”