Why Most People Rarely Learn Anything New

The human brain has an enormous capacity for learning. The paradox is that it is full of blind spots that limit the ability to learn. For the most part, you just think the way you were taught to think. In effect, the way you do things is the way you do everything. The way you do things depends on the way you see things. The way you see things depends on your way of thinking or your thought process. Your thought process is a fusion of your brain’s syntax. Your environment shapes your syntax. And your environment gives you the facts of life. Unlearning the learned facts is one of the biggest obstacles people face. And that interferes with personal and professional growth.

People make sense of new information using existing knowledge and experience. If new information invalidates existing information, the person will defend what they already know, unless there is incontestable proof. In other words, people think the way they think because of the way they already think. Asking people to look at any situation from a new perspective is asking them to alter the syntax of their brain. If that syntax breaks, they will most likely resist. Hence the incessant desire to disagree. That slows down the learning of important information. It is easier for people to add enhancements to existing knowledge.

The subject of what we learn is inconsequential. Jean Paul Sartre talks about how people process information or incidents that occur in their lives. If, for example, a five-year-old is punished for speaking, he will fear speaking or resent being unable to speak. Therefore, at age five, they will make a decision based on that incident to keep their thoughts to themselves or be rebellious and speak up regardless of the consequences.

Regardless of the choice made at five, her life will be determined by her throughout her life. In fact, they will believe that it is not appropriate to speak, if they chose that path. Sartre says that once a person believes something to be true, they will always look for evidence that their point of view is correct. Being right is more important than learning something new. If you try to convince them otherwise, they will remember the countless times they paid a price to speak.

In some cases, because they were silent so often, they may not have developed effective communication skills. As a result, when they speak, they will speak awkwardly and will not be accepted by others. It will be almost impossible for them to see that they are creating adverse situations by not being able to communicate effectively. If you try to teach them to communicate effectively, you are also teaching them the mindset that talking has consequences. That’s like putting the icing on a mud cake.

This example highlights how everyone learns. We make decisions to avoid consequences. While the decision seems to have kept us safe, we will be stuck with it for the rest of our lives, unless we go through a significant transformation. And sometimes the catalyst for transformation can be temporary.

For example, the Meyer Briggs Personality Assessment was administered to many companies in the twin towers of the World Trade Center. The assessment was administered prior to the events of September 11. Shortly after the 9/11 incident, the Meyer Briggs assessment was administered again to many of the same people.

In almost all cases, their results changed. The catastrophic event had changed personalities and individual perspectives on life. Thus, it seemed that they had learned to be different people. To see if those changes were sustainable, the companies administered the assessments five years after the 9/11 incident. And the results were amazing. Almost all people had the same personality they had before September 11, 2001. That means that their mentality remained the same. The severity of the event temporarily disrupted people’s thought processes. However, when things returned to normal, so did his thinking.

So you know what you know because what you know has helped you survive and avoid the consequences. Other times what you know gives you access to pleasure. Once you know what you know works, stick with it. Anything that challenges what you know is hard to accept because you already have proof that what you know works, even if it isn’t giving you what you really want. If you want to teach people something new, you must first interrupt their existing thought processes and help them see themselves and the world from a whole new perspective. That is where coaching plays an important role. It is essential to stay with the person to help them make a smooth transition to living in a new paradigm.