Hello! Welcome back to our work on building inner order.
In our last lesson, we established the cornerstone of Stoic practice: the dichotomy of control. We learned to sort our worries into two baskets: things that are "up to us" (our judgments, intentions, actions) and things that are not (everything else). The key insight was that our peace of mind depends on focusing our energy exclusively on the first basket.
We concluded by noting that the most significant item in the "up-to-us" basket is our own judgment. Today, we will explore that idea in its full depth. Your learning goal is to describe the Stoic view of emotions as products of our judgments about events, not the events themselves. This is one of the most powerful and transformative ideas in all of Stoic philosophy. It proposes that the source of our emotional turmoil is not the chaotic world outside, but the interpretations we create inside our own minds.
The Core Idea: Judgments, Not Events
The Stoics make a radical claim: Nothing outside of you can harm your inner state. An event itself is just a fact; it is neutral. It is the story you tell yourself about the event that gives it emotional power.
The Greek Stoic philosopher Epictetus stated this principle most clearly:
Think about it: a traffic jam is not inherently "terrible." It is a collection of cars moving slowly. The judgment, "This is a disaster, I'm going to be late, everyone will be angry with me," is what creates the feeling of panic and frustration. Someone else in the same traffic jam might think, "Ah, a chance to listen to my podcast," and feel perfectly calm. Same event, different judgments, different emotional realities.
This short video explains this foundational concept and how ancient Stoics like Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus applied it.
Control Your Emotional Reactions With These 10 Daily Habits | STOICISM
The video 'Control Your Emotional Reactions With These 10 Daily Habits' provides a clear introduction to the idea that our judgments, not external events, create our emotional responses.
Watch the section from 03:27 to 05:32. Pay close attention to the distinction between an event and our interpretation of it. The quotes from Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus are central to our lesson today.
This shift in perspective is incredibly empowering. If external events were the direct cause of our emotions, we would be helpless victims of circumstance. But if our judgments are the cause, and our judgments are within our control, then we have the power to change our inner world, regardless of what happens outside.
The Mechanism: From First Movements to Full-Blown Emotions
How does this process actually work in our minds and bodies? The Stoics offered a surprisingly sophisticated psychological model. They didn't deny that we have gut reactions to things; they just didn't classify these as "emotions."
The Roman philosopher Seneca described a three-stage process:
- First Movement (Impression): An involuntary physiological reaction. Someone cuts you off in traffic, and your heart jumps. A loud noise makes you flinch. Your palms sweat before a presentation. These are automatic, uncontrollable bodily responses. They are not yet emotions.
- Judgment (Assent): This is the crucial, conscious step. Your mind evaluates the first movement and the event that caused it. You assent to a belief, such as, "That driver disrespected me, and that's an outrage!" or "I'm going to fail this presentation, this is a catastrophe." This is the part that is "up to us."
- Emotion (Passion): If we assent to a strong negative judgment, the initial "first movement" gathers momentum and becomes a full-blown, often overwhelming, emotion like rage, panic, or despair. Once this stage is reached, our reason is "overleaped," and the emotion takes control.
The following reading explains this three-stage model with a very clear example.
Stoicism and Emotion: Don't Repress Your Feelings, ...
The article 'Stoicism and Emotion' provides an excellent breakdown of how initial reactions become destructive emotions through the filter of our judgment.
Read the sections 'How the Stoics define emotion' and the paragraph that follows it. You can find this by looking for the list of three stages of emotion production and the example of reacting to a spider. Focus on understanding the difference between the uncontrollable 'first movement' and the controllable 'judgment'.
The Stoic strategy is not to suppress feelings or pretend you don't have them. It is to intervene at Stage 2. We acknowledge the "first movement" without judgment, and then consciously choose a more rational and helpful belief to assent to.
A Modern Parallel: The ABC Model of Cognition
This ancient idea is so powerful that it became the foundation for one of the most influential forms of modern psychotherapy: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and its predecessor, Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT).
The psychologist Albert Ellis, inspired by the Stoics, developed the "ABC model" to explain how our minds process events. This model is a perfect modern-day translation of Stoic emotional theory.
- A - Activating Event: The external situation. (e.g., Someone criticizes you in a meeting.)
- B - Belief: Your interpretation or judgment about the event. (e.g., "They are trying to humiliate me," or "This proves I'm not good at my job.")
- C - Consequence: The emotional and behavioral result. (e.g., Feeling defensive and angry, withdrawing from the conversation.)
The model shows that A does not cause C. It is B that causes C. The activating event is filtered through your beliefs to produce the emotional consequence.
The following article explains this connection beautifully, even touching on the neuroscience behind it.
The Stoics were right – emotional control is good for the soul
The article 'The Stoics were right...' directly links Stoic philosophy to modern psychotherapy, explaining the ABC model and its power.
Read the section that begins, 'This rationale of Stoicism...'. You can find it by looking for the term 'rational emotive behaviour therapy (REBT)'. Focus on how the 'ABC model' perfectly mirrors the Stoic idea that our beliefs, not events, determine our feelings.
Test your understanding!
Imagine you text a friend to make plans, and several hours pass with no reply. Using the ABC model, describe this scenario. What is the Activating Event (A)? Now, provide two different Beliefs (B) you could have about this event, and the likely emotional Consequence (C) for each.
Show answer
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A (Activating Event): My friend has not replied to my text for several hours.
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Path 1:
- B (Belief): "They are mad at me. I must have said something wrong. They don't want to see me."
- C (Consequence): Anxiety, sadness, repeatedly checking the phone, mentally replaying past conversations.
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Path 2:
- B (Belief): "They are probably busy at work or with family. They'll get back to me when they have a moment."
- C (Consequence): Neutral feeling, putting the phone down, continuing with your own day without distress.
Notice how the external reality (A) is identical in both paths. The entire difference in your emotional experience comes from the belief you choose to assent to (B).
Conclusion
Today we've unpacked a profound and practical truth at the heart of Stoicism: your emotions are not random occurrences inflicted upon you by the world. They are the results of a process, a process in which your own mind plays the leading role. Events happen, your body has an initial reaction, but then there is a space. In that space, you have a choice. You can assent to a judgment that leads to distress, or you can choose one that leads to peace.
Key Takeaways:
- The Stoics teach that we are disturbed not by events, but by our judgments about those events.
- The production of an emotion happens in stages: an involuntary "first movement" is followed by a conscious "judgment." This judgment is the key leverage point.
- This ancient insight is validated by modern psychology, most clearly in the ABC model (Activating Event -> Belief -> Consequence), which shows that our beliefs are the direct cause of our emotional consequences.
Preview of the Next Lesson:
Understanding this model is the first step. The next is learning how to apply it in the heat of the moment. In our next lesson, we will focus on the practical skill of reframing a negative experience by consciously separating the event (A) from your initial interpretation (B). We will move from knowing the theory to practicing the art of choosing your judgments.