Ideas that pop into our heads at different times. There are two categories of thoughts: 1.) Automatic thoughts are those which come out of our schemas and beliefs. These are the things we immediately think of as the “truth” without questioning their validity or reality. An example is, “There’s a guy wearing a PCHS T-shirt. Those kids are all a bunch of stuck-up, rich kids.” (I used an example we’d know wasn’t true.) 2.) Voluntary thoughts are those we choose to have, and we are aware they are coming into our heads. These can be verbalized and changed when we decide to. Example: “I used to think badly of PC kids, but I realized that wasn’t fair. Especially after I met Nate and Rachel.”
