Student's Perspective: The Impact of Beliefs on Studying

"Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t – You’re right." Henry Ford

In this text, I discuss beliefs and their impact on studying. My own studies have been waiting for about twenty years. For twenty years, I believed I was incapable of studying at the university level. I thought it wasn't for me, especially the idea of completing a lengthy thesis.

I don't know at what point in my life I started doubting myself as a person. Probably already in childhood, which involved a lot of pain and suffering. According to one theory, I suffer from what is known as core shame, a toxic form of shame that makes a person feel worthless (Saraste 2024). It's interesting to ponder what our own beliefs are. Could some beliefs be influenced by a parent, sibling, teacher, or even a supervisor? What beliefs does society bombard us with?

Who has ingrained in my mind that I am a worthless person and inadequate in everything I do? Society's achievement-oriented mentality certainly hasn't helped. Nor has the fact that growing up in the 80s and 90s, emotional intelligence was unheard of. It has taken over 30 years to realize that maybe I can and I am capable. It's crucially different to think, "I can do this!" than "I can't do this!" And even more crucial is whether you believe in your own beliefs or not.

So, we could roughly divide beliefs into two categories: those that serve us and those that don't. If you have beliefs that don't serve you, such as "I am dumb," and you believe in those beliefs, you'll likely behave in a way that reinforces those beliefs. People even take actions to strengthen their desired beliefs, even at the expense of truthfulness if they conflict with their worldview (Bromberg-Martin & Sharot 2020, 561).

According to increasing research, beliefs are more than just tools for achieving external goals. They are rather a source of value in themselves, motivating people to maintain certain beliefs. For example, people would rather believe they are right than wrong, or that the future is brighter than darker (Bromberg-Martin & Sharot 2020, 561).

So if you believe you are right in your belief that you are dumb, you'll likely behave accordingly and not achieve the things you would achieve by encouraging yourself to try.

Examining our own thoughts and beliefs may initially seem challenging, but over time, it likely becomes easier, and we can begin to harness thoughts and beliefs to serve us better.

In recent years, I've been questioning my beliefs extensively, and I'm happy to say that soon I'll graduate as a Bachelor of Business Administration. I believe I can do it, and actually, I believe I can achieve anything I want.

I believe you can also reshape your beliefs to better serve you!

Anita Löfberg
Student of Business Administration

Suorces:

Translation is made with a help of ChatGPT

Bromberg-Martin, E. & Sharot, T 2020. The Value of Beliefs. Department of Neuroscience. Washington University. Luettavissa: https://www.cell.com/neuron/pdf/S0896-6273(20)30347-0.pdf. Read: 11.4.2024.

Saraste, H. 28.3.2024. Huonompi kuin muut. Helsingin sanomat. Luettavissa tilaajille: https://www.hs.fi/hyvinvointi/art-2000010229544.html. Read: 11.4.2024.