The Agoraphobia Mindset: Holding Rigid Expectations

People with agoraphobia often hold rigid expectations.

Holding rigid expectations is thinking of personal preferences, wants, or choices in terms of absolute rules. Rigid expectations are usually expressed with words like “should,” “ought to,” “have to,” and “must.”

This type of thinking leads to anxiety because you end up focusing on something you think is wrong and are likely to become critical of whomever or whatever is not meeting your rigid expectations. Because in many cases, the rigid expectations are applied to you, this type of thinking tends to promote a lot of self-criticism.

When you hold rigid expectations, you think of anything that falls short of the inflexible standard you have set as totally unacceptable. In effect, you have entered an idealistic fantasy world where everything is supposed to be exactly how you think it should be or you feel anxiety.

Examples of rigid expectations:

“I should be liked and accepted by everyone or I am not a worthwhile person.”

“I have to be able to finish my workout before 7 AM every morning or it won’t be a good day.”

Article Source: http://www.agoraphobia.net

Stephen Price is a recovered agoraphobic with a master’s degree in psychology. His informational website on agoraphobia featuring a free newsletter can be found at: www.agoraphobia.ws

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