Our Belief System

By Sandi Smith

You may think you are open-minded, but studies show differently. Stay with me, please. The tendency might be to say "I am open-minded and I don't need to read this article." But I have some surprising news for you.

A landmark study worked with two groups of people and had them read two papers: one on the pros of the death penalty and one on the cons of the death penalty. Before they read the papers, they were asked for their opinion.

The group who was for the death penalty and who read the Pro paper strengthened their conviction, as did the group who was against the death penalty and read the Cons paper.

When the Pro group read the Cons paper, it strengthened their Pro position. They filtered what they wanted to get out of the paper. The same thing happened in reverse, i.e., the Cons group read the Pro paper and strengthened their Cons position.

The conclusion is that people filter what they want to out of the input they are given based on prior beliefs.

This might sound OK, but think about this in its various contexts. What if you have a child that doesn't clean up her room. Your belief is that Sarah is messy. Poor Sarah might be trying to improve, but your belief is that she is messy. Any time a book is out of place, the bed isn't made or the towel in on the floor, you think Sarah, when it might actually be your other child Brett. Sarah will have to overcompensate to change your belief abou ther messiness, even if you think you are open to it.

Another risk is when these beliefs are turned inward. "I can't spell." Every time you misspell a word, you will reinforce the negative thought and lower your self-worth. It's a small example, but with big implications. Think about what else you say you can't do and its effect on your psyche as you constantly reinforce your negative self-talk. This can't be good for the human race!

Belief perseveration (as it's called by cognitive scientists) is particularly depressing when a person's natural disposition is the topic. Typically happy people are on an upward spiral, seeing the world with half-full glasses and a rosy future. Typically unhappy people see the world more critically. Everything they see is reinforced using these belief filters.

How can you get yourself out of this pattern of perseveration? Increase your awareness of belief perseveration so that you are not trapped by it. When you experience something dramatic, are in enough pain, or simply work hard at knowing this limitation, you can make progress.

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