The Core Belief Magnet Metaphor explains how core beliefs are maintained over time.
Offers theory, guidance, and prompts for mental health professionals. Downloads are in Fillable PDF format where appropriate.
Includes client-friendly guidance. Downloads are in Fillable PDF format where appropriate.
An editable Microsoft PowerPoint version of the resource.
Core beliefs are self-sustaining. They tend to 'attract' evidence that confirms them while 'repelling' contradictory evidence. This information handout utilizes a magnet metaphor to explain how schemas are maintained.
The Core Belief Magnet Metaphor is an engaging tool for helping clients understand how core beliefs work.
Beliefs about failure or worthlessness.
Beliefs about danger and vulnerability.
Beliefs about inadequacy or inferiority.
Beliefs affecting relationship dynamics.
Use the handout to explain how core belies work.
Explore how the metaphor might apply to the client's belief system.
Core beliefs are the most fundamental level of cognition and are embedded within schemas. They are global, unconditional, and overgeneralized beliefs about oneself, other people, and the world. Often referred to as "unconditional beliefs" or "central assumptions," these beliefs are typically expressed as all-or-nothing statements, such as "I am good" or "I am bad." Individuals often perceive these beliefs as "just the way things are" (Dowd, 2002).
According to the cognitive model, core beliefs influence how individuals select and interpret incoming information, contributing to processing biases (Riso & McBride, 2007). They also affect memory recall, as people tend to remember experiences that align with their core beliefs (Clark & Beck, 2010). Consequently, these beliefs exert a powerful influence - often below the level of conscious awareness - on how individuals think, feel, and behave across different situations, as well as on what they pay attention to.
In cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), core beliefs are sometimes described as 'lenses' or 'prejudices.' Another way to illustrate the effects of core beliefs - and implicitly, the strategies to challenge them - is to think of them as magnets with both attractor and repulsor properties. They attract evidence that supports the belief while repelling contradictory evidence.
