Sarah had been working as a sales representative in a small, regional office of a big, national company for several years and was very successful.  Her boss, Robert, repeatedly told her that she was next in line for a promotion to sales manager when the current manager, Anthony, retired. Robert was a very trustworthy boss, and had assured Sarah that her future with the company was bright.

A week ago, Anthony told his co-workers that he was retiring. Today, Robert asked Sarah to meet him in his office at 11 AM.

Before going to the meeting, Sarah said to her friend Dana, "Get ready to celebrate tonight. When I come out of Robert's office, we're going to have a good reason to!"

 

Sarah has a belief system about promotions at her company, which has led to an assumption. Select the true statement about belief systems or assumptions in this scenario.

Belief systems are primarily influenced by negative experiences. Explain.

 

Belief systems can be powerful enough to escalate or de-escalate a conflict. Explain.

Assumptions are combinations of beliefs that form a model for an individual's world. Explain.