There are certain habits that are difficult to modify beyond the particularities that each person has gone through in their life. On some occasions, this can be a consequence of age and the deep-rooted customs of society. Taking this perspective, one can understand that there are situations that could be thought of differently, but adopting another point of view would be an arduous and complex task. After all, life subjects us to constant unexpected changes that require hasty decisions. In these cases, there are people who can vary their ideals and adapt to the modifications that emerge from a specific area, while others are not willing to reflect and produce variations that have an impact on actions, emotions and behaviors.
In this Psychology-Online article we will explain What is cognitive rigidity and how to work on it.
What is cognitive rigidity
Cognitive rigidity can be defined as the impossibility of carrying out other types of behaviors and/or beliefs that represent novelty for the person. In other words, it consists of hold the same ideasbehaviors and beliefs over time without any possibility of changes. Consequently, this gives rise to a complexity of mental health that can cause various conflicts in work, social and family ties.
Beyond the fact that we are talking about a particular person, cognitive rigidity can also be reflected in the difficulty accepting other points of view about certain events.
Disorders or pathologies associated with cognitive rigidity
Cognitive rigidity implies the presence of some mental health problems in which this condition manifests itself. Below you will find the disorders or pathologies associated with cognitive rigidity:
- autism spectrum disorder: Although it is true that autism has several nuances, in these cases there is great difficulty in terms of adapting to changes that occur in habits and routines.
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder: People who carry out various rituals constantly and continuously tend to be quite reticent about the changes that may occur. Therefore, when certain variations occur, levels of nervousness, fear and anger that are difficult to cope with usually occur.
- Attention deficit disorder: Although this pathology is usually diagnosed at school age, people who have difficulties sustaining attention adopt specific and consistent strategies to achieve this goal. Faced with the appearance of changes, concentration levels decrease considerably.
- Depressive disorder: the symptoms that characterize depression represent an obstacle to changes. When these occur, the person responds negatively since the perspective on life does not have major changes.
- Eating disorders: Although bulimia and anorexia are the best known, pathologies that are highlighted by eating disorders maintain difficulty tolerating changes in life patterns.
- Psychotic disorders: These types of psychiatric pathologies are severe because certain circumstances must be met in an inflexible way so that there are no decompensations. Here you will find more information about the .
How to assess cognitive rigidity
It is important to establish strategies that allow this problem to be detected in time and allow us to look for alternatives for the life of a person who suffers from this difficulty. One of the ways is the neuropsychological evaluation, in addition to some other instruments that are used to evaluate cognitive rigidity and which we show you below:
- Inattention Test– involves tapping buttons when yellow lights appear on a screen. However, you should not press any button when they change color.
- Simultaneity Test: within a screen, the person must continue the path of a white ball and pay attention to certain words. When there is a match between the word and its color, a response must be established. This test tests the degree of attention along with adaptation to changes.
- Synchronization Test: The objective is to coordinate the path of a ball next to the pointer on the screen. In this way, the synchronicity between the movements is evaluated.
How to work on cognitive rigidity
Despite the difficulties caused by this quality, there are some methods that allow a treatment to be established. In this section we show you how you can work on cognitive rigidity:
- Establish new goals: The renewal of objectives requires diverse strategies to achieve what is proposed. On a piece of paper or document, it is advisable to write down those goals that you seek to achieve.
- Perform psychological therapy: Going to a mental health professional helps to dismiss beliefs that are taken as absolute truths. In this way, therapy invites you to reflect on the points of view you adopt in life.
- Change of habits: beyond having certain knowledge incorporated, the modification of routines, behaviors and ideas seeks to implement greater flexibility.
- Perform physical exercise: the release of produces a relaxation in the central nervous system. In turn, this has the effect of greater cognitive flexibility.
- Appeal to artistic means: It is known that art is one of the means of expressing feelings. In this sense, there are no rigid and specific patterns to follow since there are no set rules in art. Practicing some artistic activity helps work on cognitive rigidity.
Examples of cognitive rigidity
Here are some common examples of cognitive rigidity:
- Inflexible beliefs: A person who has rigid beliefs and is unwilling to consider different points of view or conflicting information displays cognitive rigidity. This is the case of people who cling to a political or religious belief and are not willing to listen to opposing opinions or consider new data.
- absolute thoughts: for example, a person who thinks in black and white and believes that everything is good or everything is bad, without recognizing that there can be varying degrees of success or failure.
- Difficulty resolving conflicts: People with cognitive rigidity tend to cling to a single way of approaching a problem, without considering other more creative or innovative approaches.
- Imposition of strict rules: This is the case of someone who follows a set of rules at work to the letter without adapting to changing needs or suggestions for improvement.
- Resistance to change: A person who is reluctant to accept changes or adapt to new situations may be experiencing cognitive rigidity. For example, someone who feels anxious or uncomfortable about any change in their daily routine and refuses to try new things.
- Stereotypes and prejudices: someone who strongly believes in negative stereotypes about a certain ethnicity or gender and refuses to consider information or experiences that contradict those stereotypes.
First of all, it is important to keep in mind that cognitive rigidity can manifest itself in different ways and degrees depending on each person and there are many other ways in which cognitive rigidity can influence individuals’ thinking and behavior.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
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Bibliography
- Maddio, S., Greco, C. (2010). Cognitive Flexibility to Solve Problems among Peers. Does this Capacity Different in Schoolchildren from Urban and Urbanomarginal Contexts? Inter-American Journal of Psychology, 44 (1), 98-109.
- Martinez Fuentes, A. (2021). Approach to a case study of lack of emotional regulation and cognitive rigidity. Alfonso X El Sabio University. Faculty of Psychology.