The overall rating that I give myself as a human, my general assessment and self-acceptance, depend on the perfection of my actions and the degree of approval that others give me.
This is the list of irrational ideas adapted from Ellis and Grieger. Adopt these ideals and you will see what a world of confusion you are going to create.
* It is absolutely necessary to be loved and approved by others almost at all times.
* I must be unfailingly competent and perfect in any activity I undertake.
* The people who hurt me or hurt me are bad, wicked and mean. I must blame them, condemn them, and punish them severely.
* It is horrible, terrible or catastrophic that things do not go the way one would like them to go.
* External events cause much of human unhappiness, and I have little ability to control my feelings or to get rid of depression, hostility, and the like.
* I find it easier to avoid facing the many difficulties and responsibilities of life, than to commit to profitable forms of self-discipline.
* If something seems dangerous or threatening to me, I should worry and be disturbed by it.
* My past is still important, and just because it has had a huge influence at a certain point in my life, it has to continue to determine my feelings and behavior for the present.
* People and things should be better than they are, and I must consider it horrible and frightening not to quickly find good solutions to life's problems.
* I can achieve happiness through inertia and non-action, or "enjoying myself" passively and without compromising.
* All things must be ordered, and I must be sure of it to feel good.
The overall rating that I give myself as a human, my general assessment and self-acceptance, depend on the perfection of my actions and the degree of approval that others give me.
