Is There Any Other Way of Looking at It? The Three Interpretations That Break an Automatic Reaction

One message appears on your screen: “We need to talk.” Within seconds, you may read it as rejection, danger, or the beginning of an ending. The words have not changed, but your interpretation has, and now three different evenings are possible.

This is the work of Lock 2 in the I³ framework: Interpretation. I³, pronounced “I cubed,” stands for Information, Interpretation, Intensity. Once you have gathered the available information, you must interrupt the mind’s next automatic move: the interpretation, opinion, or conclusion you attach to what happened.

The governing question is simple:

Is there any other way of looking at it?

That question does not ask you to deny your experience. It asks you to examine it carefully.

The three interpretations: negative, neutral, and positive

Every situation can be viewed through at least three interpretive possibilities:

1. Negative
2. Neutral
3. Positive

The negative interpretation usually arrives without assistance. It is often the first conclusion produced by fear, disappointment, anger, or insecurity.

The neutral and positive interpretations require deliberate thought.

Suppose someone sends a message saying, “We need to talk.”

The negative interpretation may be:

“They are upset with me. I have done something wrong. This relationship may be over.”

The neutral interpretation may be:

“They want to discuss something. I do not yet know what it is.”

The positive interpretation may be:

“They value the relationship enough to address something directly. This conversation may create greater understanding.”

None of these interpretations should be accepted merely because they sound comforting. The goal is not forced optimism. The goal is accuracy.

Cognitive reappraisal works in a similar way. It involves changing the meaning assigned to an emotionally charged situation so that the emotional response becomes more proportionate and useful (Gross & John, 2003). Research in Frontiers in Psychology likewise describes reappraisal and acceptance as distinct strategies that can reduce negative emotion through different cognitive processes (Monachesi et al., 2023).

Why the negative interpretation arrives uninvited

Dr. Greg Stewart’s I³ framework begins with a crucial distinction: all emotion is energy. Some emotional energy supports an improving quality of life. Other emotional energy helps you solve a problem or respond to a situation you perceive as threatening.

Negative emotional energy is not automatically bad. It may signal that something requires attention.

The difficulty begins when we mislabel the energy or misjudge the situation producing it.

A short message may produce anxiety because your conclusion is that a problem exists. Anger may arise because you conclude that someone has violated an expectation. Sadness may emerge because you conclude that an important goal has been blocked.

In each case, the emotion is connected to an interpretation.

The mind often treats an interpretation as if it were information. It is not. Information is what happened. Interpretation is what you believe what happened means.

The American Psychological Association’s cognitive restructuring guidance makes the same distinction. First identify the situation, feeling, and thought. Then evaluate the thought against the evidence. If the thought is inaccurate, replace it with a more accurate one. If the thought is accurate, create an action plan (American Psychological Association, n.d.).

This is not emotional denial. It is disciplined examination.

The two questions that unlock neutral and positive readings

Two questions help you move beyond the automatic negative conclusion.

1. Have I challenged the legitimacy of my expectations?

Unmet expectations often create the impression that something is wrong. Yet not every expectation is reasonable, necessary, or within another person’s responsibility.

Ask:

• Was this expectation clearly communicated?
• Was it realistic?
• Did I assume another person would think as I think?
• Did I confuse my preference with an obligation?
• Would I consider this expectation reasonable if someone else held it?

A blocked expectation is not always evidence of mistreatment. Sometimes it is evidence that the expectation needs revision.

2. Have I considered whether the blocked path may protect me?

This is the beginning of a positive interpretation.

You may have wanted a particular relationship, opportunity, answer, or outcome. When the path closed, you experienced loss. Later, you may have recognized that the closed path protected you from a deeper difficulty or redirected you toward something more fitting.

This does not make disappointment unreal. It gives disappointment a wider context.

The neutral interpretation asks, “What else may be true?”

The positive interpretation asks, “What good may become possible because this did not unfold as I expected?”

Both questions expand the field of vision.

Ask where the other person may be right

One of the most effective ways to challenge an automatic interpretation is to debate yourself.

Ask:

If someone completely disagreed with me, where would they be right?

This question is particularly useful during conflict. You do not need to surrender your position. You need to search for the part of reality your position may be missing.

Consider a disagreement with someone close to you. You may believe that the other person is careless, dismissive, or unfair. Before defending your conclusion, ask:

• How would someone with no vested interest in meeting my expectations view this situation?
• What facts would that person notice?
• Where might the other person’s concern be legitimate?
• What would they say if they were describing the situation accurately?
• What part of their experience have I failed to understand?

Perspective-taking can function as a form of reappraisal because it changes the meaning assigned to another person’s actions. It does not excuse harmful conduct. It helps you distinguish intention from impact, fact from assumption, and disagreement from danger.

This practice also reflects the wisdom of Proverbs 15:22: “Without consultation, plans are frustrated, but with many counselors they succeed.” You do not need to share the faith tradition behind the verse to appreciate the principle. Your first interpretation may be incomplete. Wise counsel can reveal what you cannot see alone.

Use the RHWR test

Dr. Stewart offers another tool for examining interpretations: the RHWR paradigm.

Ask whether your conclusion is:

• Rational
• Healthy
• Wise
• Right

Use the test in two directions.

First, hold your original interpretation accountable:

• Is it rational, or am I filling in missing information?
• Is it healthy, or does it intensify fear without improving my response?
• Is it wise, or does it move me toward an impulsive decision?
• Is it right, or is it simply familiar?

Second, use the test to preserve accurate beliefs. Once an interpretation passes the RHWR test, you do not need to discard it merely because another person disagrees.

The purpose is not to eradicate your opinions, judgments, or conclusions. The purpose is to obtain the opinions, judgments, and conclusions that are true.

We all have blind spots. Seek insight from people whose mental models are more accurate and effective. Do not assume that needing another perspective makes you weak. It makes you teachable. Others may need your perspective as well.

Practice “The truth is” and “The truth also is”

You can apply Lock 2 today with two sentence stems.

“The truth is…”

Use this phrase to replace an untrue or exaggerated opinion.

• “The truth is, I do not know why they have not replied.”
• “The truth is, disappointment does not prove that I have been rejected.”
• “The truth is, I reacted to my interpretation, not to complete information.”

Think of what a wise friend, a trusted counselor, or God would say to complete the sentence.

“The truth also is…”

Use this phrase to add another true interpretation without denying the first.

• “The truth also is, this situation may require a direct conversation.”
• “The truth also is, the other person may have a legitimate concern.”
• “The truth also is, this blocked path may lead me toward a healthier one.”
• “The truth also is, I can respond with dignity even while I feel disappointed.”

This language creates room. It prevents one conclusion from becoming the entire story.

A recent Nature Communications study found that emotion regulation strategies such as reappraisal are represented through distributed and distinguishable patterns of brain activity rather than a single isolated mechanism (Jiang et al., 2026). The practical implication is modest but meaningful: interpretation is not a decorative layer added after emotion. It is part of how emotional experience is organized.

Let interpretation set the right intensity

The third lock in I³ is Intensity. It concerns the amount of emotional energy required for an effective response.

When you identify interpretations across the negative, neutral, and positive spectrum, then test them for rationality, health, wisdom, and truth, you are more likely to bring the right amount of energy to the situation.

A real problem may require courage and firm action. A misunderstanding may require patience and clarification. A blocked expectation may require grief, adjustment, and renewed direction.

Do not bring a ten to a situation that requires a three. Do not bring a three to a situation that requires a ten.

Interpretation helps you calibrate the response.

Over time, this practice makes you more resilient and tough-minded. You become less dependent on the first story your mind tells you. You learn to pause without becoming passive, question without becoming cynical, and reinterpret without abandoning reality.

I³ is an emotional-management framework, not a clinical diagnosis and not a substitute for licensed care. If emotional distress is persistent, overwhelming, or interfering with daily life, seek support from a qualified mental-health professional.

Learn more through Becoming More Counseling, Coaching, & Consulting. Watch Dr. Greg Stewart’s TEDx talk, and explore the revised edition of I³: Information, Interpretation, Intensity – Unlock the Inner Strength Behind Your Negative Emotions.

References

American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Handout 27: 5 steps of cognitive restructuring instructions. https://www.apa.org/pubs/books/supplemental/Treatment-for-Postdisaster-Distress/Handout-27.pdf

Diers, K., Weber, M., Theobald, A., et al. (2021). Should we keep some distance from distancing? Regulatory and post-regulatory effects of emotion downregulation. PLOS ONE, 16(8), e0255800. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0255800

Gross, J. J., & John, O. P. (2003). Individual differences in two emotion regulation processes: Implications for affect, relationships, and well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 85(2), 348–362. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.85.2.348

Jiang, H., He, J., Zimmermann, K., et al. (2026). Common and distinct neurofunctional signatures of dynamic naturalistic emotion regulation strategies. Nature Communications, 17, 4272. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-70708-5

Modern Psychological Studies. (n.d.). Modern Psychological Studies. https://www.modernpsychologicalstudies.com/

Monachesi, B., Grecucci, A., Ahmadi Ghomroudi, P., & Messina, I. (2023). Comparing reappraisal and acceptance strategies to understand the neural architecture of emotion regulation: A meta-analytic approach. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1187092. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1187092

Psychology Today. (n.d.). Cognitive reappraisal. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/cognitive-reappraisal

Psi Chi Journal of Psychological Research. (n.d.). Psi Chi Journal of Psychological Research. https://journal.psichi.org/

Stewart, G. (2026). I³: Information, Interpretation, Intensity – Unlock the Inner Strength Behind Your Negative Emotions (Rev. ed.). Becoming More Counseling, Coaching, & Consulting. https://a.co/d/cQ93cyo

The Open Psychology Journal. (n.d.). The Open Psychology Journal. https://openpsychologyjournal.com/

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