Confusion of Neuro-Logical Levels is a primary cause for significant troubles which many people experience.

Imagine that I stub my toe and yell, "OUCH!!! That hurts!" then I slap my forehead and say, "What an idiot I am!" That would be an example of confusing one Neuro-Logical Level with another: Behavior with Identity. I have gone, in one quick step, from a mistaken behavior to a negative identity, something of a much higher order with broad implications.

Were I to make the same behavioral mistake and keep my response on the same behavioral level, my results would not only be less negative, but they would also be confined in scope and potentially more useful. "OUCH!!! That hurts!" followed by, "I need to move that chair, or watch where I'm stepping." -- A behavioral mistake, and a Behavior Level response.