It’s All In Our Head
Nicholas Kristof’s column in yesterday’s New York Times shared that the origins of political judgments may in part be the result of our fundamental personality type and even in the hard-wiring in our brains. While even the researchers agree there is more work to do to validate these findings, it is consistent with the growing body of research suggesting that our brains may control us more than we control our brains.
The way we think and learn, the way we process information, the way we experience the world and the way we express ourselves are deeply encoded in our DNA. It’s unique, personal and very “customized.”
Yet all too often we approach change in mechanistic and standardized ways. It doesn’t matter whether we are changing a political point of view, changing a technology or asking an individual to change their job performance.
The point of this isn’t to say that creating change is impossible. Instead, it suggests that creating change starts with understanding those who we are trying to influence. Especially since their ability to change is all in their head.
Another excellent posting, Erik. It rings true. All my life I thought I was quite liberal but never examined what that meant to me. I never gave it much thought the way I have now. After a close examination of my own attitudes regarding many current issues I’m very much like my Father and paternal grandparents. They were more conservative in terms of their attitudes towards traditional roles and approach to saving money.