Mental Concept
Viola is a serious actress who is used to playing serious roles in dramas and action movies. One day she gets a call from her agent that a company wants her to audition for a comedy. She is nervous about it because she doesn’t think of herself as funny. She goes home and starts preparing for the audition. She starts spiraling mentally, thinking about all the ways her audition could go wrong. She begins to think about how she’s not good, funny, or deserving enough for the role, becoming angry with herself. On the day of the audition she gets too nervous and skips it, feeling sad having skipped it. What Mental Concept is Viola feeling?
Emotions
After skipping the audition, Viola went back to work. She told herself that it was alright that she skipped the audition because she isn’t a comedy actress. But during her scene at work she kept messing up her lines and cues because she couldn’t stop thinking about the audition she skipped. She began to wonder if she was a good actress at all. She felt defeated because fear had stopped her for trying something new. That’s when she decided to think of all the things that could go right instead of thinking of all the things that could go wrong and call her agent to see if she could get another audition with the comedy project. What Theory is Viola experiencing?
Positive vs Negative Emotions
Viola successfully got an audition with the comedy project once more, this time finding the courage to go. During the train ride to the audition and while sitting in the waiting room, Viola began to thin about all the ways she would successfully ace her audition. She said the lines in her head over and over again, as well as seeing herself audition the piece before actually auditioning. What mental tool is Viola practicing?
Imagery/Visualization
When Viola was younger all she ever wanted to do was be an actress. She loved playing comical roles but nobody ever thought she was funny. This made Viola question her comedy abilities, leading her to not want to be an actress anymore. She lost confidence in herself and stopped acting all together. Even thought she sometimes wanted to act she couldn’t find the strength to do it, quitting acting. What Mental Concept is Viola showing signs of?
Motivation
A few years later, in her Junior year of high school Viola got invited to audition in her school play’s production of Romeo and Juliet. At first viola didn’t want to do it but her friends convinced her otherwise. She auditioned and got the role of Juliet. That’s when she thought that maybe she was a good actress, just not a comical one. She then thought that if she wanted to make it as an actress she had to stop playing comical roles and focus on the more serous stuff. She couldn’t see herself making it and becoming a star, and she was serious about her work no matter what. She got her grades together before making sure to apply to all the best acting colleges. What Theory is Viola experiencing?
Grit, Resilience
A few months later, Viola heard back from the people of her comedy audition. She didn't get the role she auditioned for, but instead got offered a role in Bridgerton for a character who’s both serious and funny. This made Viola reevaluate her thoughts of comedy roles vs dramatic roles. She questioned why she let other people’s depictions of her persuade her into thinking they were right. All that matters is what she thinks. Viola no longer thinks of herself as a comedy actress or a serious drama actress. She just thinks of herself as an actress. She is no longer afraid to try things outside of her comfort zone and will stop trying to be so hard on herself. What mental tool is Viola using to change her way of thinking?
Cognitive Reappraisal/Restructuring.