Practical Implications
How does this understanding help our work as therapists? To answer that question, it may help to do a little detour and explore the concepts of core belief and schema. Core beliefs are fundamental and inflexible assumptions that we hold about ourselves, others and the way that the world works. Schema is a term that's often used interchangeably with core beliefs and generally means a belief that is fundamental and maladaptive. The concept of core beliefs originated in CBT, although it has many features in common with principles within schema therapy and other therapeutic models. The Fount model considers the task of pinpointing and modifying maladaptive core beliefs to be an important task in therapy.
Core beliefs and schemas are considered to be inflexible, resistant to change and and as a result enduring throughout a person’s lifespan. Research by Riso, Froman, Raouf, et al in 2006 demonstrated moderate to good levels of stability for early maladaptive schemas, which supports the idea that core beliefs developed in childhood are stable and enduring. I would like to use the analogy of a computer software to demonstrate my understanding of this principle. Imagine that a robotic engineer created a robot whose task was to move through a room and record all the details of that room, all the furniture, the colour of the walls, the placement of all the objects etc. Except this engineer forgot to incorporate an important function within the programming of this robot. Once the robot learns and records information about some aspect of the room, it no longer notices or accepts any changes to that information. So if a red chair was to be replaced by a yellow chair, the robot will not notice that change and modify its records. This lack of flexibility would likely cause our engineer to face some problems and consider some design changes.
When it comes to core beliefs, the human mind is similar to that robot. Once a core belief is formed, it results in biases that make it resistant to change. That’s because when we have a bias, we are more likely to look for and notice supportive information, give more worth to supportive information, interpret information in a way that supports our existing belief and remember supportive information more readily. This phenomenon is called the confirmation bias, and that’s how the core belief is maintained.
When we understand important stages of a client’s history, such as middle childhood, we can be alert to possible core beliefs that may have been formed during these phases. And once we are aware of a client’s core belief and the memories associated with it, we are well on our way in utilising this information to formulate an effective treatment plan. So that means, if you see a client presenting with noticeable self image issues (whether it’s low self esteem or ideas of grandiosity such as boasting about themselves and their achievements, putting others down or exaggerated competitiveness), investigate the events of their middle childhood. And if while asking your client about their history, you realise they had experiences that may have impacted their self image during middle childhood, investigate how their current self esteem might be impacted by those experiences.