This article is part of an ongoing series that began with Fallacies and Cognitive Biases.
The above picture is a detail from "50 Cognitive Biases to be aware of so you can be the very best version of you"
The above picture is a detail from "50 Cognitive Biases to be aware of so you can be the very best version of you"
"We do the opposite of what we're told, especially when we perceive threats to personal freedoms."
No kidding.
This cognitive bias is a form of risk management. It protect us as individuals from exploitation. It protects our in-groups from outsiders. It requires would-be authorities to prove themselves.
Everyone has an agenda. Everyone has a reason for what he does. The reason may be minor. The agenda may be harmless. And again it may not.
If we blindly did as we are told we would be quickly overtaken by the malicious. Some reflexive defiance protects us from this. Stubbornly doing things your own way may be a suboptimal solution but at least your risks are your own. A malicious actor seeks to maximize his gain while offloading risks to you.
If we blindly did as we are told our time-tested social structures would be replaced by unproven instructions. Our in-groups have their own structure & accepted way of doing things. Members of the in-groups have bought in to the groups' rules. The rules are known to work. Someone who comes in and barks orders is by definition diverging from the existing order. Can we trust this new system? Why should we abandon what we have already demonstrated works?
If we blindly did as we are told our leadership would be taken over by people who haven't earned it. Pushing back gives would-be leaders an opportunity to demonstrate why they deserve our trust. If they can't surmount that obstacle what good are they anyway?
Comments
Post a Comment