Barriers to change LO28046

From: AM de Lange (amdelange@postino.up.ac.za)
Date: 03/22/02


Replying to LO28021 --

Dear Organlearners,

Morty Lefkoe <morty@decisionmaker.com> writes:

>Unfortunately, knowledge does not change
>beliefs. Thus, if we conclude early in life that
>Life is difficult, or Relationships don't work,
>we will live out of those beliefs even if the
>outcome is negative and even if intellectually
>we disagree with those beliefs later in life.

Greetings dear Morty,

What do you mean by using "knowledge" above?

I self make a distinction between knowledge and information. Knowledge
"lives within a person" whereas information "exists outside a person".
Sadly, information does not change "beliefs", i.e., Mental Models (MMs).
Furthermore, most of these MMs arise as a result of external information
overriding internal learning and hence knowledge.

>When the beliefs are eliminated -- and they
>can be, quickly and permanently, in a matter
>of minutes (I know, most people believe that
>that is impossible) -- the behavior changes
>easily and naturally.

Some beliefs, or MMs as I would prefer to call them, can be
eliminated quickly and permanently. Other MMs take many
years to get rid of. Here are a few of the latter:
* Humans can learn by judging them.
* Humans can learn by giving them the book.
* Humans can learn by putting them in school.

A study of the lectures given by Nobel prize winners also reveals that
some of them had to struggle for many years to overcome a particular MM.

With care and best wishes

-- 

At de Lange <amdelange@gold.up.ac.za> Snailmail: A M de Lange Gold Fields Computer Centre Faculty of Science - University of Pretoria Pretoria 0001 - Rep of South Africa

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