“This is a repost of an “opinion” blog post I wrote in 2022. Its content is still relevant today. Peeling away layer after layer of the cynic personality we discover many paradigm faucets residing under the mania umbrella.”
🧐 So how can you recognize cognitive bias? Some obvious traits are:
- Emotional communications
- Poor listening skills
- Lack of diplomacy
- Inability to consider other or alter viewpoints (inflexibility)
- Out of context/accusatory statements
- Disregard of expert information
- Unrepentant, unprofessional, and unaccountable
- Thrives on gossip, division, and drama
- In one word, irrational
A cognitive bias is a systematic pattern of deviation from norm or rationality in judgment. Individuals create their own “subjective reality” from their perception of the input. An individual’s construction of reality, not the objective input, may dictate their behavior in the world. Thus, cognitive biases may sometimes lead to perceptual distortion, inaccurate judgment, illogical interpretation, or what is broadly called irrationality.
In psychology the Dunning-Kruger Effect is a cognitive bias whereby people with limited knowledge or competence in a given intellectual or social domain greatly overestimate their own knowledge or competence in that domain relative to objective criteria. Because they are unaware of their deficiencies, such people generally assume that they are not deficient.
It is easy to see this effect has become the preeminent social paradigm of choice for citizens concerning public policy and management. Utilizing tidbits of research and hearsay creates assumptions that may or may not be true. This, partnered with the disregard of expert/professional recommendation, is often the root cause of “unintended consequences” pertaining to policy and planning. The self gratifying accusatory critique by social media “keyboard warriors” has become the methodology of citizen activism and amateur governance. One spark of cynicism can ignite a firestorm (Bandwagon Effect) doing irreparable damage to individuals and organizations. Often times, irrational “social media activists” are unaware of the damage they have caused as ramifications of their actions may not be immediately obvious and/or quantifiable. But the negative impact is all too real. The Dunning-Kruger Effect coupled with a the Bandwagon Effect (follow the crowd syndrome) is the current psychosis recipe working against municipalities everywhere.
❤️ How should you respond to the Dunning-Kruger Effect?
- Calmly avoid futile emotion fueled debates
- Correct misinformation in a detached and non-accusatory format
- Be well informed and practice stoic patience; you will need it
- Wisely pick your battles because your opponent may choose a scorched earth policy rendering any victory devoid of appreciable correction or gain
- In one word, professionalism
Synopsis- The Dunning-Kruger Effect is active in New Fairview. And well it should be, as it is a common but little understood human trait. At variating levels of effect, few are immune. A kind/giving/humble spirit that continually pursues wisdom and knowledge is the prescribed antidote.
“BE KIND AND DO GOOD”
