Strictly speaking, people don’t react emotionally to the situations and events in their 
lives. Rather, they react to their beliefs and interpretations concerning these events and 
situations. In other words, given an identical situation, different people might have com -
pletely different emotional responses, depending on their beliefs about the situation.
Consider the following example. Imagine that you have interviewed for a job and are 
waiting to hear about the outcome of the interview. You were told that you would hear 
within a week. Two weeks have passed, and you still haven’t heard from anyone about 
whether you were selected for the position. How would you feel? What emotions would 
you be experiencing? Well, you might be nervous if you thought the lack of a call was a 
sign that you didn’t get the job. On the other hand, if you thought no call was a sign that 
decisions had not yet been made, you might feel more optimistic. You might be angry if 
you believed that the interviewer was treating you disrespectfully by not calling.
Often our beliefs are accurate; however, sometimes our beliefs are exaggerated or 
incorrect. For example, some people who are socially anxious are quick to assume that 
another person doesn’t like them just because he or she seems uninterested during a 
conversation. In reality, there are many reasons why a person might look uninterested 
when talking to you. Some of these include: