Instinct Perspective

This week’s article summary is an overview of the book Factfulness which is about the different ways (the author calls them instincts) people view the world and how these instincts can limit our perspective.

As you read of the different ways, think about which one(s) you use. I’m most prone to the Gap and Generalization instincts.

While using these instincts has advantages in that they help us makes quick sense of the many situations and information we encounter daily,  it’s also a form of bias and can result in one-dimensional thinking and skew our perspective and conclusions.

The different gap instincts made me think about the students in our classes, the parents we work with, fellow teachers we team with, and that we all need to be aware of not only how we but others have a tendency to view the world through one or two of these instincts.

One of our principal roles as educators is to help everyone—students, colleagues, parents—step outside their ‘instinctual’ way of seeing and doing things and to be more open to different perspectives and ideas.

Joe

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In Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World – and Why Things Are Better Than You Think, which has been on The New York Times best-seller list, Hans Rosling, the late Swedish physician and statistician, describes ten ways we tend to misinterpret the world around us and offers advice on how to do better:

The Gap Instinct: This is what Rosling calls “the temptation we have to divide all kinds of things into two distinct and often conflicting groups, with an imagined gap – a huge chasm of injustice – in between.” For example, it’s common for people to see the world dramatically split between rich and poor countries. In fact, the 2017 world population is at four levels: Level 1, very poor, getting around on foot (about 1 billion people); Level 2, improving conditions, traveling by bicycle (3 billion); Level 3, more resources, traveling by motorcycle (2 billion); and Level 4, first-world countries, traveling by car (1 billion). To control for the gap instinct, he advises:

• Beware of comparing extremes – for example, the extreme poverty in Sudan versus the comfortable existence of Western countries.
• Beware of seeing the world “from up here.” Looking at others through the lens of one’s own lived experience distorts what lies in the middle.

The Negativity Instinct: This is the widespread tendency to notice the bad more than the good. To control for the negativity instinct, Rosling advises:

·         Beware of the myth of a rosy past

·         Realize that things can be bad and better at the same time

·         Recognize that good news and gradual improvement are almost never reported.

The Straight Line Instinct: This is the tendency to believe that a trend line (for example, the population of the planet) will continue in linear fashion. Always keep in mind that trends often do change.

The Fear Instinct: Often we focus on information that triggers fear. Writes Rosling, “Paying too much attention to what is frightening rather than what is dangerous – that is, paying too much attention to fear – creates a tragic drainage of energy in the wrong direction.”

The Size Instinct: There’s a strong tendency for people to get things out of proportion, misjudge size, and exaggerate the importance of one data point. “The media is this instinct’s friend,” says Rosling. “It is pretty much a journalist’s professional duty to make any given event, fact, or number sound more important than it is.”

The Generalization Instinct: “Categories are absolutely necessary for us to function,” says Rosling. “They give structure to our thoughts… Everyone automatically categorizes and generalizes all the time.” But generalizing can also distort our worldview. It can lead us to group people or things together – stereotyping – and jump to the conclusion that the people or things in that group are all alike. The gap instinct divides the world into “us” and “them” and the generalization instinct makes us think that “they” are all the same. To combat this instinct, Rosling suggests:

·         Look for differences within groups

·         Look for similarities across groups

·         Look for differences across groups – don’t assume that what applies to one group applies to another.

The Single Perspective Instinct: “We find simple ideas attractive,” says Rosling. “We enjoy that moment of insight, we enjoy feeling we really understand or know something. And it is easy to take off down a slippery slope…” The key, says Rosling, is to recognize that a single perspective can limit our imagination. Beware of simple ideas and simple solutions.

The Blame Instinct: This is the human tendency “to find a clear, simple reason why something bad has happened,” says Rosling. “It seems that it comes very naturally for us to decide that when things go wrong, it must be because of some bad individual with bad intentions. We like to believe that things happen because someone wanted them to, that individuals have power and agency; otherwise, the world feels unpredictable, confusing, frightening.” The key, he says, is recognizing when a scapegoat is being used “and remembering that blaming an individual often steals the focus from other possible explanations and blocks our ability to prevent similar problems in the future.” Workarounds: Look for causes, not villains. Look for systems, not heroes.