You Can Change the Way You Feel: David Burns - Essay Example

According to Branden, values shape individual behavior and are responsible for the social makeup of an individual (34). In addition, they represent the beliefs of what is considered morally correct or upright. Values distinguish between what is good and bad. Values are not in-born, they are learned from peers. Such a learning process explains how human beings acquire values. Animals do not learn, but their actions are shaped by nature and the environment.

Values are a significant part of how human beings view emotions. Branden convincingly argues that values are responsible for an individual’s self-esteem (40). In addition, self-esteem controls one’s ego, hence shaping thoughts and feelings.

An average score of 1.0 in the dominant values indicates a modest perception of power across a broad range of values. On the other hand, a higher score (34) is achieved by assessing cognitive empathy. Such a score is an indication of understanding the thoughts, feelings, and situations of others.

The score on cognitive empathy is supported by an almost similar score (32) on emotional empathy to indicate the sensitivity of other peoples’ thoughts, situations, and feelings. The dispositional mood scale indicates a strong personality in that, positive attributes achieve a high score whereas negative attributes achieve a low score (Positive energy 4.5, relaxation 4.4, negative arousal 1.5, and tiredness 1.8).