Cognitive scientist Maya Shankar outlines how building flexibility into goal planning prevents perfectionist failure modes on The Knowledge Project.
Insight
Shankar: Anchoring Identity to 'Why' Creates a More Resilient Sense of Self
“The challenge becomes, though, when you anchor yourself to something that is precarious in some way, and that's what I found with the violin. What I strive to do, because it's very much a works in progress, but I hope this resonates for your listeners, is to a…”
Insight
Shankar: Cultivating Layered Identities Protects Self-Worth Against Career Disruptions
“What I'm proposing is having multifaceted identities. So you have multiple layers of abstraction when it comes to where you derive meaning and how you define yourself. And so at one level, you can absolutely say, okay, I'm a lawyer, I'm a doctor, a stay at hom…”
Insight
Shankar: Self-identity narratives must be rooted in reality and external feedback
“So I really don't, I'm not okay with people telling themselves stories that are simply advantageous or promote psychological well-being, right? They have to be rooted in reality. They have to be to some degree vetted by the people in your life.”
Insight
Shankar: Group identity shapes beliefs more than data and facts
“Facts and science and evidence don't surface as much as they should in some of our debates, and it's because when we look at how it is that people form their attitudes and beliefs about the world, they're not simply basing it on What the data says. They're bas…”
Insight
Shankar: Fear of Social Ejection Prevents People From Updating Their Beliefs
“And if you feel too strong tribal membership, it can impede you from updating your point of view, because in that moment, You're not just asking yourself, do I believe in that X virus is real? What you're really asking is, do I belong to X group or not? Becaus…”
Insight
Shankar: Framing arguments within an opponent's moral values improves persuasion
“What we find is that grounding our arguments in moral terms that affirm rather than threaten the moral views of those we disagree with is far more effective at helping them
Change their viewpoints.”