Beliefs

Explanations > Beliefs

What do you believe? The answer is likely to be 'more than you realize'. We understand and manage the world around us through our beliefs, which may not be perfect, but which are useful.

Changing minds very often means changing beliefs, which means the persuader should gain an excellent understanding of what they are, how they are formed and how they get changed.

Articles on belief include:

• What belief is: Gives a simple definition.
• Types of belief: Classifies the sorts of things we believe in.
• The formation of belief: Describes how we find our beliefs.
• Strengths of beliefs: Discusses strong, weak and blind beliefs.
• Beliefs about people: Very much affect how we interact with them.
• Care-Behavior Matrix: How different beliefs lead to different interpersonal behaviors.
• Ellis' Irrational Beliefs: Dysfunctional beliefs that many of us hold.
• Kahler's drivers: I must be perfect, strong, etc.

So what?

If you can change a person's belief, you have a very powerful persuasion tool. They are, however quite deep things and will often resist changing. So understand them, how they are formed and how they change.

See also

Theories about belief, Fowler's Faith Stage Theory

Blogs by subject: Belief