Motivated Reasoning
Social psychology speaks of Motivated Reasoning
when we form and cling to beliefs despite contradicting evidence.
Motivated Reasoning is characterized by actions such as:
Rather than searching for neutral information about a particular belief,
we seek out information that confirms what we already believe.
Motivated Reasoning impacts our rational processes, such as:
Our ways of viewing complex issues (e.g. over-simplification)
Our views and beliefs of others (e.g. implicit biases)
Our evaluation of evidence (e.g. dismissal due to beliefs)
Motivated Reasoning also
impacts directly our personal processes, such as:
Our level of openness to other perspectives
Our capacities for making life choices
Our courage to review our attitudes
When we quit thinking primarily about ourselves,
we undergo a truly heroic transformation.
Joseph Campbell
MOTIVATED REASONING
By crossingborderseducation
