Negative Core Beliefs and Depression

Core beliefs are our longstanding and deeply held beliefs about ourselves, the world and other people, and the future. The negative cognitive triad consists of three sets of core beliefs that make us vulnerable to depression:

  • Negative beliefs about ourselves as helpless, unlovable, and/or worthless
  • Negative beliefs about the world and other people as hostile or unfriendly or rejecting
  • Negative beliefs about future, comprised of hopelessness and pessimism

If we’re able to change our core beliefs and make them less negative, we become less vulnerable to depression. In this video we’ll learn what core beliefs are, and how to identify our core beliefs. Then in the next post we’ll learn how to modify core beliefs to make them less negative.

Core Beliefs and Depression

If you’d like to explore your core beliefs, you can download the Core Beliefs Worksheet in PDF or Word format. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them on the YouTube video page.