Did you change your mind before — so why not again?

Stephen Covey once said, "We see the world as we are conditioned to see it." This means we don’t just see things as they are

 — we see them through the lens of our background, experiences, and beliefs. These shape how we understand and respond to everything around us 

(Covey, 1989).

1. Cognitive Bias and Judgment: The Misogynist’s View Example

A misogynist is someone who has negative beliefs about women. These beliefs aren’t random—they are shaped by mental shortcuts and habits that help reinforce their bias:

• Confirmation Bias: They only notice things that support their negative views and ignore things that don’t (Nickerson, 1998).

• Stereotyping: They generalize all women as being emotional or manipulative, rather than seeing each woman as unique (Schneider, 2004).

• Attribution Bias: They believe women succeed because of luck or special treatment, but think men succeed through hard work (Marlowe, 1994).

• Ingroup/Outgroup Bias: They see men as the “main group” and women as outsiders, giving men more credit and respect (Tajfel & Turner, 1979).

2. Family Dynamics and Conflict

Imagine a child who grows up in a home where fights are handled badly—through yelling or silence. As an adult, that person might still be afraid of conflict, reacting with anxiety even during small disagreements (Gottman, 1994).

3. Cultural Beliefs and Emotions

In some cultures, showing emotions like sadness is seen as weak. People raised in these environments might struggle to talk about their feelings later in life because they were taught to hide them (Lutz, 1990).

4. Trauma and Perception

Someone who has been abused may feel like the world is unsafe, even when it isn’t. Because of their painful past, they might find it hard to trust others or feel safe in relationships (Herman, 1992).

5. Workplace and Competition

Some people are taught to believe that success comes from beating others. In a job setting, this makes them see coworkers as threats rather than teammates. Every time someone else does well, they feel worse about themselves (Kahn, 1990).

6. Self-Image and Appearance

If someone grows up believing that being attractive is the most important thing, they might tie their self-worth to how they look. This can lead to low confidence and body image issues if they feel they don’t match society’s beauty standards (Cash & Smolak, 2011).

QUESTIONS

👉Do you believe that your view of the world is the correct one?

👉 If so, how do you know it’s correct and not just based on how you were raised or what you’ve been through?

👉 Have you ever changed your mind about something you once believed strongly?

👉 If that happened once, could it happen again?

👉 So then, is it possible that some of your current beliefs might not be as true as you feel?

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More References

Cash, T. F., & Smolak, L. (2011). Body image: A handbook of theory, research, and clinical practice. New York: Guilford Press.

Covey, S. R. (1989). The 7 habits of highly effective people: Powerful lessons in personal change. New York: Simon & Schuster.

Gottman, J. M. (1994). What predicts divorce?: The relationship between marital processes and marital outcomes. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Herman, J. L. (1992). Trauma and recovery: The aftermath of violence - From domestic abuse to political terror. New York: Basic Books.

Kahn, W. A. (1990). Psychological conditions of personal engagement and disengagement at work. Academy of Management Journal, 33(4), 692–724.

Lutz, C. (1990). Engendered emotion: Gender, culture, and the politics of emotion in infancy and early childhood.

Marlowe, H. A. (1994). The misunderstanding of women: Attributions and the misinterpretation of misbehavior in female work dynamics. Journal of Employment Counseling, 31(3), 89–100.

Nickerson, R. S. (1998). Confirmation bias: A ubiquitous phenomenon in many guises. Review of General Psychology, 2(2), 175–220.

Schneider, D. J. (2004). The psychology of stereotyping. New York: Guilford Press.

Tajfel, H., & Turner, J. C. (1979). An integrative theory of intergroup conflict. In W. G. Austin & S. Worchel (Eds.), The social psychology of intergroup relations (pp. 33–47). Monterey, CA: Brooks/Cole.