Understanding the Thinking Self and Decision Systems

The Thinking Self

• Thinking Self is a concept that analyzes the process of thinking.
• The Thinking Self is what distinguishes humans from other species.
• Humans have a complex, layered, and multifaceted system of thinking.
• Many people believe in the “Thinking Self” despite having little awareness of how their minds work.

Two Systems of Thinking

• System 1 is fast, intuitive, emotional, automatic, and less cognitive effort
• System 2 is slow, deliberate, reflective, analytical, effortful, and reflective

Functions of Systems 1 and 2

• System 1 is capable of making quick decisions based on little information.
• System 2 decisions require attention and slow, effortful, considered responses.
• Both systems have their respective function and are not necessarily better than one another.

Interaction of Systems 1 and 2

• When a problem needs to be solved, System 1 assesses the situation and attempts to solve it.
• If System 1 fails to solve the problem, System 2 approaches the problem in a more logical way.
• When there is no problem or when the stakes are low, System 1 is biased to believe and jump to conclusions, while System 2 is often lazy and biased to doubt and question.

Situations Wherein Systems 1 and 2 are Employed

• The CRT mathematical test shows that intuition is a dominant force in the minds of medical students.
• The more complex the tasks are, the more likely people engage in System 2 decision making.

Cognitive Biases

• Thinking may be prone to systematic errors.
• Some beliefs might not be based on evidence but are considered “truths” by the individual.

Peak-End Rule

• The peak-end rule describes an individual’s tendency to remember an experience depending on its peak and end, not on the entirety of the experience.

Representativeness

• The representativeness bias describes a tendency to make judgments based on assumptions that an object sharing characteristics with a category is also a member of that category.
• For Example: We might assume that someone with a tidy and detail-oriented personality is an accountant. We might arrive at this conclusion based on common stereotypes but lack concrete knowledge about that individual.

Anchoring and Adjustment

• The anchoring and adjustment bias refers to making decisions under uncertainty by starting with a reference point (anchor) and adjusting it—insufficiently.
• The decision is based on the given reference point (anchor) and adjusted based on the anchor, either higher or lower.

Guarding Against Cognitive Biases

• Recognize the signs that you are in a cognitive minefield, slow down and ask for help from System 2.
• Identify tasks you do and the kind of thinking they demand.

The Feeling Self

• The Feeling Self is about the way people experience emotions and connect it with physiological, behavioral, and cognitive aspects.
• This section primarily focuses on theories of emotion, and it includes: The James-Lange Theory, Cannon-Bard Theory, and the Schachter-Singer Theory of Emotion.

Emotions and its Features

• Emotions have three core features: Antecedent, Physiological, and Behavioral.
• Antecedents are situations or triggers that cause an emotion (e.g., seeing a spider).
• Physiological aspects are biological reactions and the nervous system’s role in emotions.
• Behavioral aspects are the expressions and responses to emotions.

Antecedent Condition

• Events, contexts, or situations trigger emotions.
• The universality of antecedent events elicits the same emotions across cultures.
• Cultural differences play a role in how people experience emotions, such as cultural display rules, which dictate the socially acceptable expression of emotions.

Cognitive Appraisal

• Thoughts and beliefs impact how you feel and how you behave.

Physiological

• Each basic emotion has distinct patterns of biological activities.
• The role of the autonomic nervous system, central nervous system, neurotransmitters, and hormones are included.

Emotional Expressions

• Display Rule: rules dictating how emotions should be expressed, when and where expression is appropriate.
• Display rules may require people to overtly show evidence of specific emotions even if they don’t feel it and disguise their true feelings.

Emotional Experience as A Process

• The emotional experience process includes: Activation Event, Beliefs, and Consequenc.
• Activating Events are the events that cause the emotion.
• Beliefs are the evaluations, rational and irrational thoughts.
• Consequences are the emotions and behaviors that result from the activation of beliefs and events.

Application: Depression

• A person might experience depression because of a stressor that reactivates a belief they hold.
• The individual might have the belief that they must be competent in everything that they do, else, they are worthless.
• A new stressor might trigger the belief, leading to feelings of depression and behaviors of self-pity and isolation.
• While the example focuses on Depression, the model can be used to understand the emotional experience of many psychological events.

Paul Ekman

• Widely known for research on emotions and facial expressions.
• He is a leading expert in microexpressions—brief, involuntary facial expressions that reveal a person’s true emotions.
• His work contributed to the advancement of the study of emotions.
• He is known for his work with the Dalai Lama on the topic of compassion and empathy.

Explore the dual systems of thinking that shape human decision-making. This quiz delves into the characteristics and functions of System 1 and System 2, as well as the concept of the Thinking Self that differentiates humans from other species. Test your knowledge of how these systems interact and influence our thought processes.