Leveraging the Power of Lateral Thinking
Part II - Cognitive Distortion
As we mentioned in
last month's newsletter, lateral
thinking is a term coined by Edward de Bono,
a noted psychologist, physician and writer. It first
appeared in the title of his book "The Use of Lateral
Thinking", published in 1967 (and still a great read).
De Bono defines lateral thinking as methods of
thinking concerned with changing concepts and
perception. Lateral thinking focuses on reasoning that
is not immediately obvious and about ideas that may
not be obtainable by using traditional step-by-step
logic. In other words, lateral thinking is a
wonderful tool for Jesters to tease out and address
blind spots!
De Bono believes that the ability to think laterally is a
skill
that can be developed through repeated use. We
agree and think the better developed a Jester's
lateral thinking skill is, the more blind spots can be
uncovered and illuminated.
To really understand the need for lateral thinking (and
the power that can occur when Jesters implement it),
one must better understand the idea of
"cognitive distortion". Cognitive therapy traditionally
identifies ten common cognitive distortions in thinking
that can easily create blind spots in organizational
decision making. These distortions include:
All-or-nothing thinking - Thinking of things in
absolute terms, like "always", "every" or "never".
Overgeneralization - Taking isolated cases
and using them to make wide generalizations.
Mental filter - Focusing exclusively on certain,
usually negative or upsetting, aspects of something
while ignoring the rest, like a tiny imperfection in a
piece of clothing.
Disqualifying the positive -
Continually "shooting down" positive experiences for
arbitrary, ad hoc reasons.
Jumping to conclusions - Assuming
something negative where there is no evidence to
support it. Two specific subtypes are "mind reading"
(assuming the intentions of others) and "fortune
telling" (predicting how things will turn out before
they happen).
Magnification and Minimization -
Inappropriately understating or exaggerating the way
people or situations truly are. Often the positive
characteristics of other people are exaggerated and
negative characteristics are understated. One
subtype of magnification is "catastrophizing" (focusing
on the worst possible outcome, however unlikely, or
thinking that a situation is unbearable or impossible
when it is really just uncomfortable).
Emotional reasoning - Making decisions and
arguments based on how you feel rather than
objective reality.
Making should statements - Concentrating on
what you think "should" or ought to be rather than the
actual situation you are faced with, or having rigid
rules which you think should always apply no matter
what the circumstances are.
Labeling - Rather than describing a
specific behavior, you assign a label to someone or
yourself that puts them in absolute and unalterable
terms.
Personalization - Assuming you or
others directly caused things when that may not have
been the case. When applied to others this is an
example of blame.
How many of the above do you see occurring in your
organizational environment? How many can you
honestly say currently effect your own thinking
processes?
Next month we will focus on a Jester's constant
challenge to reduce and refute these distortions; a
process called "cognitive restructuring". As part of that
focus we will present specific actions you can take (as
well as exercises you can do) to get better at
leveraging your own ability to laterally think.
