I decided to examine my life using the cognitive perspective because I'm easily able to relate my choices in life, to the way cognitive thinking is applied, and under the umbrella of the cognitive perspective, stand Piaget's theories, directive therapy techniques, and the ABC method. These have proven to be the best explanations for my actions. A cognitive quote by Arnold Bennett (1995), that I consider very relevant to the way I see life, says "There can be no knowledge without emotion. We may be aware of a truth, yet until we have felt its force, it is not ours. To the cognition of the brain must be added the experience of the soul." These 3 sentences tell us that our emotions are the core of all our actions, and as you may know, the cognitive perspective is all about our internal processes. Cognitive perspective is a school of psychology that focuses on mental processes, such as creativity, perception, thinking, problem solving, memory, and language. Cognitive psychologists believe that through the study of how people perceive, remember, reason, decide, and solve problems; you can find the cause of mental illness.
Jean Piaget was a developmental psychologist who became interested in the development of a child's mind course. "Piaget proposed that a child's mind develops through a series of stages, in an upward march from the newborn's simple reflexes to the adult's abstract reasoning power" (Myers, 2010). The first stage in Piaget's theory is called Sensorimotor Stage; this stage lasts from birth to age 2. During this phase children discover the world through their sensor and motor interactions, such as smell, touch, sound, view etc. The second stage is called Preoperational Stage; this stage is during a child's 5th year of life. During this time a child isn't able to perform mental operations. Once they hit 6 to 7 years old, they are able to perform mental operations.
