What is superstitious thinking? As opposed to rational, cause and effect thinking, superstitious thinking is associational. A player has a good round wearing red sox, and the clothing gets some responsibility for the low score. From then on the player wears red sox while playing golf. This is particularly so if several good rounds occur shortly after the program is initiated. Suppose the player forgets to wear his red sox one round. It goes poorly and the high score reinforces his illogical paradigm. What might have happened was that he felt anxious about not wearing his socks, and that anxiety disrupted his normal game. His poor performance had nothing to do with the red sox.
Most people have some minor superstitions, and they are not a problem. However, for some people, such behavior can gain too much control over their lives. Rituals designed to ward off anxiety and bring success become a burden. Golf is a hard game which can produce anxiety. Some rituals which are designed to bring shot consistency can be functional, but too many multiple rituals can easily become rigidified and non-purposeful.
So how do you get rid of superstitious behavior when it gets in your way. The answer is easier than you think. You have to stop the behavior and fend off the resulting anxiety by looking it in the face and moving on. Ignore that part of your brain telling you to wear red sox, take some deep breaths, and put on tan sox! Eventually, you will gain your freedom back.
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