Hey what’s up Thinkers! Kathy Gibbens here…
WooHoo! You’re back for another episode of learning how to think better! Let’s start off with a comment made by Stephanie on Facebook: “I started listening to your podcast after your comment (where I had posted a link to the podcast). I went through 8 episodes already and I really love them. You give good explanations and you have a very energetic voice!” Oh my gosh, thanks, Stephanie! I love it! I’m so thankful you’re listening & enjoying these episodes!
I’ll tell you what, the more I do this podcast, the more convinced I am about how NECESSARY it is for us, and for the next generation to learn the skills of good thinking, to be able to recognize error and to learn to love God with their minds. I’m going to do an episode about that soon: how to love God with your mind, and why it matters. But for now, I’m just so glad you’re here and are learning & growing!
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Ok, let’s dive into today’s new fallacy: The Psychologist’s Fallacy. The Psychologist’s Fallacy happens when a person who is observing an event assumes that the person actually experiencing the event has the same mindset, feelings or reactions as them. A psychologist named William James back in the 19th century used this term when he became frustrated by his observation that psychologists would assume that the research participant's experience could & should be understood in terms of the readily-available categories of the researcher. Not necessarily…they had to allow that the possibility that the research participants could have their own unique set of ‘categories’ through which they were viewing their experience. However, it’s not just psychologist’s who make this thinking error…we are all capable of falling prey to it.
Let me give you a simple example of what this fallacy sounds like: Imagine Jenna says, “Whew, that mountain climb was really easy, I know my Dad would have an easy time doing it as well!” You see the fallacy there? Just b/c Jenna thought the climb was easy doesn’t necessarily mean her Dad would think the same thing. He may have a very different experience & opinion of the mountain climb. (Now, of course, there are circumstances where this example wouldn’t be a fallacy. Suppose Jenna & her dad regularly go hiking together and are pretty evenly-matched in hiking skills…then Jenn is probably making an educated guess based on experience with her Dad and in that case, this wouldn’t be a fallacy.)
Teens, you may have felt like your parents committed this fallacy with you at times…oh yes, I”m getting up in your kitchens today, folks! The Psychologist’s Fallacy can happen when A parent assumes that their interpretation of their child’s emotional state must necessarily be correct. But, speaking as a parent, we’re not always correct and it’s much better to ask than to just assume. And it’s not just parents to kids, it can happen in any relationship…I’ve definitely done this to my husband at times, too!
The problem with the thinking here is simple: People assume that their subjective thoughts are an objective truth. In other words, they assume that just b/c they’re thinking a certain way, that everyone else is thinking the same way too. That’s just not the case…we are not mind-readers! It’s incorrect to assume that your interpretation of an event is the correct or only possible interpretation of that event. The truth is, if 100 different people witness the same event, it’s possible for them to have 100 different opinions and interpretations of what happened, and of what the people who were experiencing that event thought or felt or why they acted the way they did. Just b/c we think about things one way doesn’t mean the other people or person will.
Another example of this fallacy would be when people see someone who is broken down on the side of the road. A tendency for a lot of people is to think, “I’m sure someone will help them, after all I would be happy to help someone in that situation.” But then they drive away without helping! This is actually a real thing that happens, it has been called the Bystander Effect, and it comes from an infamous murder that happened in New York. Apparently, dozens of people heard or witnessed a terrible attack on a woman, but none of them called the police b/c they all assumed someone else had already done it or would do it.
So, the question to ask yourself if you think you’re facing the Psychologist’s Fallacy is this: “Is it really true just b/c I think it’s true? Or is that really what they’re thinking just b/c that’s what I would be thinking?” *repeat*
Remember: When you learn HOW to think, you will no longer fall prey to those who are trying to tell you what THEY want you to think and it all starts with asking one simple question: “Is that really true?”
