Series: Unblock Your Critical Thinking
This is the first post in a new series on what prevents people from thinking objectively and rationally.
Being able to think critically is essential for advancing your career—for everything from analyzing information to making decisions. And yet, our own brain often tries to protect us from outside information using lots of different mental processes.
This series will explore those blockers and offer practical advice for working around them so you can adopt critical thinking wholeheartedly in your work.
“That’s different.”
“How is that different?”
“It just is.”
Always lovely to have a conversation like this, isn’t it? You can see full well that the other person is making it up as they go along and saying anything to avoid having to agree with something they don’t like. They probably aren’t even trying to manipulate you. In fact, their own brain is manipulating them, stubbornly refusing to admit something that seems threatening for one reason or another.
Every person on earth has been the stubborn one at least once in their life. (Yes, including us). That’s because the underlying cause of this denial is something called motivated reasoning, and it’s a normal, natural function of the human brain.
The problem is that motivated reasoning gets in the way of other things—especially in professional settings. Employers and clients are looking for workers with strong critical-thinking skills, who can consider new information objectively and solve problems rationally, rather than letting their own biases cloud their judgment. These skills are in short supply.
Motivated reasoning makes for great entertainment on screen, but awful strategy in the real world. (Think of police dramas where the crusty detective just knows in his gut who the murderer is and digs for the evidence to prove it. Intriguing! And also a miscarriage of justice.)
So let’s take a closer look at this major blocker of objectivity and examine ways you can work around it to sharpen your critical-thinking skills.
What is motivated reasoning?
Motivated reasoning is what happens when your desires, emotions, or beliefs unconsciously affect how you think about things and make decisions.
It’s a defense mechanism: a way for our minds to protect themselves against how uncomfortable it is to be faced with information that conflicts with our own personal understanding of reality (also known as cognitive dissonance). It shields us from having to rethink our assumptions, admit mistakes, or confront difficult truths.
In his book The Righteous Mind, psychologist Jonathan Haidt explains the phenomenon with a vivid metaphor: the Elephant and the Rider.
“[T]he rider acts as the spokesman for the elephant, even though it doesn’t necessarily know what the elephant is really thinking. The rider is skilled at fabricating post hoc explanations for whatever the elephant has just done, and it is good at finding reasons to justify whatever the elephant wants to do next.”
A bit of bad news: the Elephant here isn’t our thinking brain. It’s our feeling brain—the one that uses motivated reasoning. But wait, there’s more. Our Elephant is also excellent at convincing the Rider that they are indeed going where the Rider wanted to go! In other words, our feeling brain convinces our thinking brain that we’re being objective, even when we aren’t.
We all need to believe that we’re rational, and that’s what makes motivated reasoning so tricky and such a hindrance to objectivity. It makes us good at fooling ourselves. (That’s also why it’s so much easier to see when other people are being irrational.)
See why this is a problem in the professional realm? If you aren’t aware whether you’re using motivated reasoning or true critical thinking, you’re probably going to make some bad decisions in your job. That’s why employers and clients find critical thinking to be so valuable.
10 Examples of Motivated Reasoning at Work
Even if the explanation above seems a bit abstract, you’re sure to recognize motivated reasoning in these scenarios:
Carl credits his success on a recent project entirely to his skill level, ignoring the help he got from his colleagues.
Dave convinces himself that the client is going to agree to the proposal, even though they’ve already expressed major concerns.
Pauline searches for articles and case studies that show her management style works well, but ignores those that suggest other approaches are better.
Clara justifies not learning the new software by claiming she’s too busy, even though she spends extra time on tasks the software could automate.
Phil downplays his coworker’s input in a brainstorming session, assuming they don’t have the necessary expertise based on one previous mistake.
Sophie blames the technical problems during her presentation on poor internet service, even though she didn’t do a test run beforehand.
Peter is confident that the budget will balance out by the end of the quarter, despite clear signs that spending is exceeding projections.
Mike dismisses data that contradicts his opinion on the project, believing that the methodology must have been flawed.
Robert dismisses his manager’s criticism, thinking they have a personal bias against him, rather than considering that they might have a valid point.
Monica assumes her colleague’s failure to meet a deadline is because they’re lazy, without considering that there might have been a good reason for the delay.
As you can see, it’s incredibly easy to fall into the habit of using motivated reasoning.
10 Questions to Ask Yourself
If we’re going to learn to think critically, we have to become aware of our feeling brain so we can see what it’s up to. This doesn’t mean we need to harshly control our emotions; that doesn’t work and simply becomes its own form of denial.
It takes a bit of courage to admit to yourself that you’re being more emotional than rational. If you’re up for that challenge, here are ten ways to check and adjust your thinking:
1. “Am I looking for reasons to dismiss this information?”
If you find yourself immediately rejecting an idea or feedback without really giving it thought, you might be using motivated reasoning. Take a second to observe whether you’re being defensive rather than open-minded.
2. “Do I feel uncomfortable with this information because it challenges my beliefs?”
Recognizing when you’re uncomfortable is key. This question helps you become aware of when you’re resisting information because it contradicts what you want to believe, not because it’s flawed.
3. “Am I focusing only on the facts that support my opinion and ignoring the rest?”
If you’re cherry-picking data that confirms your viewpoint, you might be falling into confirmation bias. Step back and look at the full picture, even if it’s uncomfortable.
4. “Would I think this information were valid if it supported my opinion?”
Try flipping the situation. If you would welcome the information if it agreed with you, but reject it when it doesn’t, you’re probably using motivated reasoning.
5. “Am I blaming outside factors instead of considering my own role in what’s happening?”
It’s common for people to want to blame others, rather than acknowledging that they’ve contributed to a problem. Try to be honest with yourself and hold yourself accountable.
6. “Am I assuming the other person doesn’t understand, or am I really considering their viewpoint?”
Motivated reasoning often leads us to dismiss opposing views out of hand. Make sure you’re giving others a fair chance to explain their perspective.
7. “Am I being more critical of opposing views than of views that agree with mine?”
If you’re looking for flaws in info that you disagree with, but quickly accepting data that supports your view, you’re probably using motivated reasoning. Push yourself to apply the same level of critical thinking to both sides of an argument.
8. “Am I relying on hope or a gut feeling to justify my position, rather than objective evidence?”
If so, you’re probably using wishful thinking or emotional reasoning, both of which are types of motivated reasoning. Focus on the facts by asking the five Ws: who, what, where, when, and why.
9. “Have I considered the possibility that I could be wrong?”
Everyone makes mistakes, but motivated reasoning often prevents people from even wondering whether they might be off base. Try asking yourself, “If I were wrong about this, how would I know?”
10. “Am I sticking with this idea just because I’ve already invested time or effort into it?”
People often feel hesitant to start over by changing their position or approach. But it doesn’t make sense to keep putting resources toward a bad idea. Try to recognize when it’s time to re-evaluate and pivot, rather than doubling down.
—
Recognizing motivated reasoning isn’t a weakness—it’s a strength. We know these questions will probably feel uncomfortable—especially at first. But embracing critical thinking over motivated reasoning is one of the most rewarding changes you can make and it will open doors you never even knew existed.
The process won’t always be easy, but with every difficult question you face head-on, you’ll be closer to fulfilling your career potential. The more you explore and challenge your own emotions and thought processes, the stronger your critical-thinking skills will become.
Give yourself time, and keep practicing!
Next in This Series
The second critical-thinking blocker that we’re going to hash out is cognitive bias. And boy, is it a doozy! The human brain loves to be right and has dozens of tricks that actually end up leading us into serious errors in judgment.
We’re going to take a look at some of the fascinating research on cognitive biases and explore how to work around them in order to think rationally and objectively.
Onward and upward!
