Module 4 - Thoughts: Cognitive Appraisal and Reappraisal

It’s All in How You See It

For instance, think about the following example: You’re walking down the street and on the opposite sidewalk, you notice a coworker walking in the other direction. You call out ‘Hi’ and their name but they keep walking, not even looking at you. What’s your first reaction? And, how does that impact your subsequent emotions and behaviors?

This is one of those situations that can have lots of interpretations depending on the lens you’re looking through. Here are just a few possible interpretations you might make:

  1. She didn’t hear me because she was wrapped up in her thoughts
  2. She heard me but is ignoring me because she’s mad at me
  3. She didn’t hear me because it’s a busy street
  4. She didn’t hear me because she was listening to music or on the phone
  5. And the list goes on…

Your immediate interpretation can have a significant impact on what happens next. For example, if you thought that your coworker intentionally ignored you because she was angry with you, you might feel sad and review your last interactions with her and how you might have offended her. Depending on your frame of mind at the time, you might even start to think that she hates you and think that perhaps others at work also do. Alternatively, you could get angry, thinking that you’ve done nothing wrong to offend her and be ignored. When you next see her, you might even ask her aggressively, “Do you have a problem with me, why’d you ignore me?” These reactions are very different than those you might have if you thought she just didn’t hear you. In which case, you might try yelling her name again, or just keep on going, not giving it a second thought.

This is just one of many examples of how one situation can be interpreted in different ways and have different results on your subsequent thoughts, feelings, and behaviours.

Your interpretations can also vary in how much importance you place on a particular situation. Is it something that remains limited to that encounter (e.g., “she’s always in her own little world”), or does it generalize to other situations or to your future (e.g., “this is just another example of people hating me. No one will ever like me.”)