Trigger thoughts
McKay and Rogers describe how we use trigger thoughts to frame our perception of a threat. The basic components of most trigger thoughts are:
1. The perception that we have been harmed and victimized
2. The belief that the provoking person harmed us deliberately
3. The belief that the provoking person was wrong and bad to harm us and should have behaved differently
The trigger thought responsible for the initial anger arousal could be wrong. That makes the trigger thought irrational.
How about the father and the spilled beans? Could any of these trigger thoughts be influencing his anger?
Next: Principle 11: Irrational trigger thoughts make us feel helpless