Psychology Cognitive Learning

Admin | February 13, 2012 | Comments Off

Psychology Cognitive Learning

Psychology Cognitive Learning

Meta-cognition, or thinking about thinking, isn't something you would typically associate with spirituality. Usually, you would hear the phrase in a discussion about philosophy or psychology, but it's an important part of successful spiritual growth. Without it, we're in danger of falling into a number of heuristic traps that can cause us to unknowingly stagnate in our progress.

The Brain and its Bias

It's no secret that our brains are incredibly complex. It's less known that our brains take a number of shortcuts to process information easier, and this includes how we feel about the things around us. Humans have an inclination and tendency to perceive things in a way that we've already learned through past experience, even though it may fail to hold water when examined a little more closely. There is no greater step on the spiritual path than completely knowing yourself, since we can't know the universe until we do. Understanding how our brains work is invaluable in this process.

Here are some of the biases that can impede spiritual growth and how we can move past them.

The Semmelweis Reflex

Also known as the Confirmation Bias, it causes us to reject evidence that doesn't agree with our current beliefs. This is particularly troublesome since it causes us to cling to old beliefs instead of accepting new ones, even if the new ideas make more sense. There are so many different spiritual paths and ideas that we're constantly being introduced to something new, and if we remain stubborn, we're almost certain to miss out on something that would aid our progress.