How can I tell the difference between a cultural theme and a cognitive principle?
The two are similar. The difference is that cultural themes are beliefs that affect several parts of a person’s life, while cognitive principles are beliefs that are only relevant to one or two closely related areas within a person’s life. For example, the belief that “nothing comes easy in this life–everything is hard, and you must work for every advantage or gain you ever make” can and often does apply to career, relationships, fitness, parenting and any number of other parts of a person’s life. But the belief that “women naturally store lots of fat so any fitness gains they make can only come if they work really hard in the gym,” apply only to one or two areas of a person’s life. The first belief might be a cultural theme (similar to the infamous “Protestant Work Ethic”) while the second seems to be a cognitive principle about women’s bodies. As you listen to your tape, ask yourself if the recurring idea(s) that you have identified are more generally applicable within your subject’
