{"ops":[{"attributes":{"color":"#211d1e"},"insert":"Everyone thinks. It is our nature to do so. But always keep in mind that much of our thinking left to itself is biased, distorted, ill-founded, or prejudiced. Our thinking can easily lead to problems in our lives, including mental health problems. Our thinking can also cause problems for others, through disrespect, negligence, and cruelty, for instance. "},{"insert":"\n\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#211d1e"},"insert":"Of course, the mind doesn’t just think, it also feels and wants. What is the connection? Our thinking shapes and determines how we feel and what we want. When we think well, we are motivated to do things that make sense and to act in ways that help rather than harm ourselves and others. At the same time, powerful emotions or desires may influence our thinking, helping or hindering how well we think in a situation. At any given moment, our minds (that complex of inner thoughts, feelings and desires) can be under the sway of our irrational or rational capacities. Our thoughts, feelings and desires may be either mentally healthy or unhealthy."},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#211d1e"},"insert":" "},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#211d1e"},"insert":"Though thinking, feeling and wanting are, in principle, equally important, it is only through your thinking that you can take command of your mind. It is through your thinking that you figure out what is going wrong with your thinking. It is through your thinking that you figure out how to deal with your destructive emotions. It is through your thinking that you change unproductive desires to productive ones. It is fairminded reasonability that frees you from intellectual slavery and group conformity. If you understand your mind and its functions, if you face the barriers to your development caused by egocentric and sociocentric thought, if you work on your mind through daily, disciplined practice, you can take the steps that lead to a self-actualizing lifestyle."},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#211d1e"},"insert":" "},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#211d1e"},"insert":"For more on the relationship between thoughts, feelings and desires, view our recently released podcast: "},{"attributes":{"color":"#0563c1","link":"https://community.criticalthinking.org/watchEmbeddedVideo.php?id=352"},"insert":"The Human Mind: Going Deeper - Thinking, Feeling & Wanting"},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#211d1e"},"insert":" "},{"insert":"\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#211d1e"},"insert":"Also work through one or all of the exercises in the "},{"attributes":{"color":"#0563c1","link":"https://community.criticalthinking.org/triangleOfThinking.php"},"insert":"Triangle of Thinking, Feeling, and Desiring"},{"insert":".\n\nFor more on native human irrationality, view these podcasts:\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#0563c1","link":"https://community.criticalthinking.org/watchEmbeddedVideo.php?id=341"},"insert":"Egocentricity"},{"insert":"- Going Deeper\n"},{"attributes":{"color":"#0563c1","link":"https://community.criticalthinking.org/watchEmbeddedVideo.php?id=339"},"insert":"Sociocentricity"},{"insert":" – Going Deeper\n\n---\n\nThis material in this blog has been slightly modified from excerpts found in the upcoming book: "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"Critical Thinking Therapy for Mental Health and Self-Actualization"},{"insert":", by Linda Elder (2025), in press.\n\n"}]}