When engaged in heated discussions, we often focus on what personal baggage we bring or what old messages might be getting in the way. The following article, written by Kathy Benjamin, highlights that there are other biological factors to consider as well. Many experts in social psychology have been aware of the phenomenon she describes, noting how these tendencies are used in war campaigning, advertising and politics. (For example, see Elliot Aronson’s “The Social Animal”) But Benjamin takes these concepts and beautifully highlights how they apply to our everyday life and tendency to believe what we want rather than work towards discernment. By highlighting these points, we are being asked to be more thoughtful, more aware of our own biases, and therefore, more capable of engaging in open and provocative dialogue and possibly grow in the process.
There is some potentially offensive humor used, so if you choose to read this, please do so at your own discrecion: http://www.cracked.com/article_19468_5-logical-fallacies-that-make-you-wrong-more-than-you-think.html