We are all products of our individual histories. Through these histories, we have adopted a complex set of beliefs that have resulted in a set of biases. Many of the biases we hold are harmless, such as the preference for wintergreen over cool mint flavors, the color blue over the color green, or the desire to watch football over basketball, etc. Other biases which may cause us to adopt prejudicial behaviors toward a specific group of people however, are not acceptable.
Good or bad, we are all biased to one degree or another about most things. The question is whether we have biases that consciously or worse, subconsciously, lead to prejudicial behaviors. Being aware of the legal and ethical ramifications of allowing such influences in our professional lives, we can consciously adjust our attitudes and beliefs. But, is it possible that we act in subconsciously guided ways but don’t consciously realize it?
Many of our actions and reactions to situations and people occur spontaneously and are heavily influenced by beliefs that we may not even realize that we hold. I grew up in the State of Vermont during the ’50s and ’60s. My exposure to anything other than Caucasian, British descendants was limited mostly to what I saw on television. Within the sphere of my family and friends, there were no exposures to other races or cultures. This lack of exposure led to a lack of consideration which, in turn, resulted in the development of certain beliefs that I did not realize I held.
My first exposure to people of color and people of other cultures was during my indoctrination into the military. Though the military was doing its best to erase racial barriers and prejudicial behaviors, their constant reminders that we were all “Green” did nothing to foster understanding or trust. I did not understand why it was important that we were all “Green,” and Marine Corps bootcamp not an environment that welcomed questions. Sadly, my biases and prejudices were intensified through my military experience.
It was not until I left the military to pursue my civilian career that I realized the extent and depth of the biases that I had within me. But awareness is fundamental to changing. If your beliefs and biases are known, then you can consciously work on evaluating your decisions and communication, eliminating harmful prejudicial behaviors, and simultaneously, altering your beliefs.
The question is: do you have harmful biases or prejudices of which you are not aware? The answer is most likely “Yes.” We all have implicit biases that contribute to unconscious attitudes that affect our thinking, decisions, communications, and reactions. There is a series of tests located at https://implicit.harvard.edu that test one’s sensitivity to a number of the diversity factors that we face everyday. I found the results for myself to be very enlightening. I highly recommend that you take these tests if you have not yet done so.
Biases and prejudices against others are born of ignorance. If we all face life with an open mind and a willingness to reach out and learn, our biases will weaken over time at both the individual and societal levels. Given enough time, our collective histories will have the benefit of a breadth of exposure and familiarity such that many of the biases that exist today will be no more. When we get to the point where people are viewed as just another person, without regard for any other factors, we will be a lot closer to where we need to be. Will we ever see the Utopian Earth society Gene Roddenberry created for StarTrek? We can only hope.
Gordon asks, “But, is it possible that we act in subconsciously guided ways but don’t consciously realize it?”
To which I answer: it’s not only possible, but certain. As much as we try to deny it, each of us is guided by psychological dynamics that are both unconscious and relatively autonomous. When we talk about biases and prejudices, what we’re also dealing with are shadow issues and projections.
Everyone has an unconscious shadow side, an alter-ego that’s sort of like an inner “evil” twin. Because the shadow is behind our backs (so to speak), it remains largely unseen and unknown. It’s not, however, inactive. In fact, it has a mind of its own; and as long as it remains unacknowledged, it tries to attract attention by sneaking into the ego’s field of view.
One of the most common and disruptive ways the shadow sneaks into view is by convincing each of us that the “other” embodies all sorts of undesirable qualities and characteristics. Unfortunately, the traits we see in the other are most often “nasty” traits we ourselves possess. Since we steadfastly refuse to admit that we could possibly be capable of such “bad” thoughts and behaviors, we unconsciously project these qualities onto others, and condemn them for possessing our own unacknowledged shortcomings.
What a mess! That’s why bias and prejudice are so tricky—and why a Native American professor once wisely said, “We’re all recovering racists.” This same conundrum was brought to light long ago, when Jesus spoke of criticizing the speck in our neighbor’s eye while ignoring the beam in our own. It also calls to mind the philosopher’s exhortation reminding us that an unexamined life is not worth living.
Perhaps it’s an absence of self-examination that’s responsible, in part, for the leadership and management failures that have transformed too many dreams into nightmares.