Tribal Psychology and Self-leadership
Jan 13, 2020
Are we part of the same tribe? If we are, you are likely to agree with what I'm about to say, but if you consider me an 'other' or one of 'them' then anything I put forward will feel wrong to you, regardless of the logic.
Tribal Psychology and Identity
Tribal Psychology & the magnification effect of social media is at the root of the rise of political divisiveness according to Psychologists, Lilliana Mason, and Dan Kahan.
From an evolutionary standpoint, being able to spot someone different or outside 'the tribe' had distinct safety advantages. So much so that our brain can be tricked into inclusion or exclusion with the smallest and most illogical of differences.
In the 1970s, a psychologist named Henri Tajfel developed social identity theory which says that when we define ourselves, we do so in large part by asserting our loyalty to the groups to which we belong. Tajfel developed this theory when in his research he discovered it didn’t take very much for humans to organize themselves into groups, and once they did, they immediately began to act like 'assholes' to people who were in groups that they were not. Tajfel’s experiments showed that humans can enter into us-versus-them thinking in seconds, and they will do so over just about anything.
The CAUTION, therefore, is to look at discoveries or ideas on merit. Once an idea, however factual, such as climate change or gun control, is politicized, people will agree or disagree with their tribal filter rather than assess the facts.
Self-leadership and Critical Thinking
It seems we have always lived in a #posttruth world, it's just now it's 24/7 and on your smartphone!
The only antidote is Self-leadership and specifically self-awareness and critical thinking. So develop the habit of asking;
"Where's the evidence?"
"In what context does this evidence hold true"
"Will this evidence hold up to scrutiny, regardless of what I currently believe?"
In Conclusion
Research by Mckinsey identifies 56 deltas (mindset and skills) that are required for the future of work.
Self-leadership and Critical Thinking account for 50% of these deltas with digital fluency and interpersonal skills making up the other 50%.
As a motivational leadership speaker and leadership coach, a large part of my work is in developing self-leadership and critical thinking for my clients.
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Author
Andrew Bryant, CSP
Author
Speaker, Coach, Author and Global Thought Leader on Self-leadership, and The New Leadership Playbook, Andrew Bryant is on a mission to 'Wake People Up' to the power of influencing their thoughts, feelings and actions to achieve their objectives.
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