Core beliefs

Core beliefs are a person's deepest fundamental assumptions about themselves, others, and the world. In Aaron Beck's cognitive theory, these are the assumptions that lie beneath surface thoughts and often go unnoticed, such as 'I am inadequate' or 'no one can be trusted'. These beliefs usually form early in life and are reinforced by later experiences that confirm them. Changing a surface thought is easy, but a recurring pattern often rests on a core belief. The coach explores these deep assumptions with curiosity, making the useful one visible without turning it into a clinical excavation.