Beliefs 5: Universal Quanitifers

Are you fooling yourself?.....

Beliefs 5: Universal Quanitifers

Date: 7/29/2026

(NOTE: It is recommended to read "Beliefs 1: Introduction" before reading this article. )

A. What are Generalizations?

In NLP these are often called Universal Quantifiers because they use words such as all, every, always, never, and nobody. These are statements that are completely exclusive or inclusive.

Everybody knows that people generalize. We do it all the time. All of us--without exception! It is a fact that nobody can deny. (If those sentences sounded a bit overgeneralized, they were supposed to!)

Many of our beliefs are based on Generalizations about people, situations, various aspects of life--and about ourselves. Some of these Generalizations serve us well; others can create unnecessary problems.

It is important to realize that Generalizations are not inherently bad. Without them, we would have to evaluate every experience from scratch. They help us make quick decisions and recognize patterns. For example, after touching a hot stove once, you generalize that hot stoves can burn you. Because of that Generalization, you do not have to test every stove before deciding whether or not to touch it.

Problems arise when we overgeneralize from too little evidence or continue holding a generalization after it is no longer accurate. In other words, the challenge is not to eliminate generalizations completely, but to recognize when a particular generalization is inaccurate, incomplete, or no longer useful.

B. Examples of Generalizations

--Explicit Generalizations (these contain words such as always, never, everybody, nobody etc. )

Everyone lies nowadays.
The media exaggerates everything.
You never pay attention to me when i am speaking.
I never remember people's names
Traffic in this city is always a nightmare
In today's world nobody stays at the same job for more than three or four years.

--Implied Generalizations (The generalization is implied rather than stated directly.)

The key to good health is to eat healthy food and exercise regularly.
Nice guys finish last.
Americans are friendly
You can't trust people anymore
Teachers like their students to treat them with respect

C. Correcting an Erroneous Generalization

1) You could correct them using the method described in the previous articles.

2A) A shorter, more direct way of evaluating the truth of a Generalization and correcting it, would be to simply challenge it by exaggerating it. Important suggestion! The recommended way of delivering this challenge is with a voice tone of genuine curiosity or light humor. The goal is to help the other person reflect and refine their beliefs, not to win an argument. Delivering it defensively or confrontationally can backfire and derail the conversation.

(using the Generalizations above)

Everyone lies?! Do you mean that there are no honest people in the world?!
The key to good health-- is that true for everyone?! at all ages?!
The media exaggerates everything? Do you mean they never report anything in a true manner?!
Do all nice guys always finish last?! Did it ever happen that a nice guy didn't finish last?!
I never pay attention to you?! Do you mean in all of the conversations we have had over the years I have never even once paid attention to what you were saying?!

2B) You can use an even shorter version of just saying a single word and emphasizing it: "Never?!" "Always?!" "Nobody?!"

Example: When the person says "Everyone lies nowadays." You can respond "Everyone?!"

Personally, I prefer this way because there is less chance of the discussion developing into a confrontation. When necessary you can go into further explanation as in 2A) above. In my humble opinion, the following generalization applies here: "Less is more" .

3) You can, if necessary, provide a counter example:

I personally know some Americans who are not especially friendly.
I have a friend who has been happily working at the same job for several years
Someone mentioned to me that he was driving downtown late last night and there was very little traffic.

A Typical Response

Usually the person will respond with a modification of the Generalization such as "No, I didn't mean that everyone lies. I meant that lying has become much more prevalent nowadays than it used to be". This is already a significant step forward. Instead of viewing the belief as an absolute truth, the person is now expressing a more limited and realistic belief. Once the belief becomes more specific, it is much easier to evaluate whether it is actually true.

In some circumstances the new belief may not be enough of a modification of the old belief. it may be necessary to further refine their new belief. Suppose they say "What I meant was that usually you don't pay attention to what I am saying". If this new belief is also incorrect, you could respond with " I clearly remember that in most of our conversations I ask you questions about what you are saying to clarify what you mean. "

In the next article I plan to discuss beliefs that are connected with capabilities, practical decisions, and ethical decisions ....