learn psychology everyday

Chapter 36 Psychology of Success and Failure--An Invisible Hand (3)
Mental set refers to the state of preparation for a specific activity, which can make us quite proficient in certain activities, and even achieve automation, which can save a lot of time and energy; however, the existence of mental set will also constrain us. Our thinking makes us only use conventional methods to solve problems without seeking other "shortcut" breakthroughs, which will also have some negative effects on problem solving.

Soviet psychologists once did such a classic experiment on "mental set": the researcher showed the same photo to two groups of college students participating in the experiment, but before showing the photo, he said to the first group of students: This person is A perpetual criminal; said to the second group of students: This man is a great scientist.Then he asked two groups of students to describe in words what the person in the photo looked like.The description of the first group of students was: deep-set eyes indicate that he is full of hatred, and the protruding jaw proves that he is determined to follow the criminal path to the end... The description of the second group is: deep-set eyes indicate the depth of the person's thinking , the protruding chin indicates the person's will to overcome difficulties on the road of understanding... The evaluation of the same person, just because of the different hints about the person's identity previously obtained, there is such a dramatic gap in the description, which shows the psychological stereotype A huge impact on the process of people's understanding!
Asimov is an American of Russian descent. He has written 400 books in his life and is considered the world's most famous popular science writer.In the article "What exactly is intelligence", he once told a story about himself.He said: Asimov was smart since he was a child. He took part in the "IQ test" many times when he was young, and his score was always around 160. He belonged to the "extremely gifted".Once, he met an auto mechanic, an old acquaintance of his.The mechanic said to Asimov, "Hey, Doctor! I'm here to test your intelligence and ask you a question to see if you can answer it correctly." Asimov nodded in agreement.The repairman began to talk about thinking questions: "A deaf and dumb man wanted to buy some nails. He came to the hardware store and made this gesture to the salesperson: stand with two fingers on the left hand on the counter, and make a fist with the right hand." Seeing this, the salesman first brought him a hammer; the deaf-mute shook his head and pointed to the two fingers that were upright. Then the salesman understood that what the deaf-mute wanted to buy was Nails. The deaf-mute just walked out of the store after buying the nails, and then a blind man came in. The blind man wanted to buy a pair of scissors. May I ask: What will the blind man do?" Isn't that simple, Asimov thought?Then he replied casually: "Blind people must be like this-"--Asimov stretched out his index finger and middle finger to make the shape of scissors.When the car mechanic heard this, he laughed happily: "Haha, you idiot, you got the wrong answer! - If a blind man wants to buy scissors, he just needs to say 'I'll buy scissors'. Why does he have to make gestures?" IQ 160 Asimov, at this time had to admit that he was indeed a "stupid".But the car mechanic was unreasonable and said in a lecturing tone: "Before taking the test, I was sure that you would give the wrong answer, because you have received too much education and cannot be very smart." .”

In fact, the relationship between being more educated and not being able to be smart as mentioned by the repairman is not because people learn more knowledge and become stupid, but because people have more knowledge and experience, and more thinking will be formed in their minds. Set the trend.This kind of thinking will constrain people's thinking and make thinking follow the inherent path.

The mathematician Hua Luogeng told a story: If we touch a bag, the first time we touch a red glass ball, the second, third, fourth, and fifth time, we still get a red glass ball. Glass balls, so we will think that this bag contains red glass balls, but when we continue to touch for the sixth time, we find a white glass ball, then we will think that this bag contains red glass balls. Just some glass balls.However, when we continued to touch, we found a small wooden ball again, and we thought again, there are some balls in it, but if we continue to touch... We have touched the wooden ball within a limited range. After certain similar concepts, a fixed thinking will often be formed, and it seems to be correct within a certain range, but what happens if it jumps out of this range?We are facing such a vast world, how can you explore this world?

Lords, who had served as a member of the U.S. House of Lords, was once invited to Boston to give a speech on the League of Nations.Previously, he learned that most of the audience at the scene did not agree with his point of view, and he had to persuade the audience.He knew that going head-on and making his point straight would not work, and it would only pit him against his audience.How to do it?At the beginning of his speech, Lords deliberately narrowed the range of differences between him and the audience, and downplayed the differences between him and the audience as minor issues, while emphasizing the consensus between him and the audience.Here's the beginning of his speech:
“Gentlemen, ladies, and my fellow citizens, it is a great honor for me to be given this opportunity by President Lawwell of Harvard University to say a few words before you.  …We are discussing a very It is an important question, and there are naturally many different methods of researching this question, but regarding the security of the world and the destiny of the United States, our goals are the same. Now please allow me to express my views from a personal standpoint. ?
"In the past, I have expressed my opinions in English many times. It is a pity that some people misunderstood me, especially many well-informed people, because they did not really understand me, and they even thought I was a I am opposed to any League of Nations organization. In fact, on the contrary, how I long for all the free countries in the world to unite and form our holy alliance, as long as this organization can truly unite all countries, each doing what they can and taking what they want needs, strive for world peace, and promote the realization of world disarmament.”

That's where Roz's cleverness comes in.It is conceivable that even a hostile audience would be calmed by the beginning of this speech.You can't help but imagine if, instead of opening like this, the speech began by criticizing the audience's erroneous views of the League of Nations, and talking about how unreliable the League of Nations is... What would happen?Can the audience still sit quietly and listen to his speech?

In study, work and teaching, we should consciously overcome the fixed thinking and make our thinking more open, deeper, more flexible and more agile.Chinese scientist Ding Zhaozhong, a Nobel Prize winner, said when talking about his scientific research experience: "In the 20s, people already knew that all elementary particles are composed of 70 kinds of quarks; my question is, why are there only 3 kinds of quarks?" Quarks? In order to find new quarks, I decided to build a high-sensitivity detector. At that time, everyone believed that there were only 3 kinds of quarks, because 3 kinds of quarks could explain all phenomena, so this experiment was adopted by Fermi National Laboratory and Western European Nucleus The center rejected it, thinking it was impossible. From 3 to 1972, we used a relatively low-energy accelerator to conduct this experiment at Brookhaven National Laboratory, and finally discovered a new quark. This means that it was previously said that only The concept of three types of quarks is wrong, and if there is a fourth type of quark, there may be a fifth or sixth type, which changes the previous concept.”

The influence of stereotypes on people's psychological activities has both positive promotion and negative interference.The former helps cognitive thinking activities to be carried out quickly, quickly and effectively, while the latter, on the contrary, restricts creative thinking activities, makes it difficult to break through the old frame, or makes thinking rigid and inflexible.Even cause a distorted reflection of cognition.When we understand this rule, we can take advantage of the positive effects of the set-position and overcome its negative effects, which will help us to recognize the new features of new things and to develop creative thinking.So, how to break the psychological stereotype?
1. Look for it

Modern science has confirmed that human potential is infinite, and the key lies in development.However, the door to the treasure house of human potential is sealed by the "seal" of psychological stereotypes such as "I can't, it's impossible".Some of these "seals" seal self-awareness, and some seal the correct understanding of external things. Finding the "seal" is the first thing we must do.

You can start with yourself and list some ideas such as "I can't" and "I can't do it" (for example, he is the best student in our class, and I can't surpass him; I can't learn foreign languages ​​well, etc.).Also, look for things that you take for granted (such as XX is an authority, of course it is right; of course black and white film cannot produce color effects, etc.).

In addition, you can also look for some of the obstacles you have encountered in your current development.

2. Think about it

After finding these ideas, first think about what is their basis?For example, I can't learn a foreign language because I am old; a certain authority is right because everyone thinks so, etc.These reasons all seem to make sense.

Then, ask yourself again, is there any necessary connection here?Old age seems to have an impact on foreign language learning, but psychologist Bloom believes that adults' speech ability usually shows only a slight decline at the age of 80, and the decline is only moderate at the age of 90.As we all know, Xu Teli learned Russian at the age of 52, and Ma Yinchu and Engels also learned foreign languages ​​​​in their 70s.

Finally, to be clear, the reason I didn't do it wasn't that I wasn't capable, it was that I "thought" I couldn't, and it was this stereotype that affected me.

3. Do it

The reason why people don't do some things is that we think it is impossible, and many impossibilities only exist in people's imagination.Breaking the mental stereotype sometimes just needs to be done.

In ancient times, there was a king who brought his sons to a huge stone gate and said to them: "Whoever can open this gate will inherit the throne." Looking at the huge stone gate, the princes shook their heads and gave up. .Only the youngest prince walked over, pushed hard, and the door opened, it was as simple as that!
Our psychological "seal" is pressed against our hearts, like a mountain, but in fact it is just a piece of paper, which can be broken at the slightest touch. All that is needed is a little courage and action.

Psychology class:
1. Everyone inevitably faces failures and setbacks, bad luck and disasters in life.When these sudden changes come to us, some people choose to complain, some choose to be impetuous, and some choose to wait, but do we think of choosing to actively adapt?

2. If we are eternal singers, then "adaptation" is an endless song in life.

The Jansen Effect - Don't Make Yourself a Bad Athlete
There is an athlete named Jason, who is usually well-trained and strong, but he loses repeatedly in the sports arena.People use this to call the phenomenon of performing well in normal times, but failing in the arena due to lack of proper psychological quality, called the Johnson effect.

In daily life, some top-ranking students fail repeatedly in the college entrance examination, and some very strong athletes perform abnormally in the arena, and they suffer defeat and so on.Listening carefully, the only explanation between "strength" and "mistakes on the field" can only be a psychological quality problem.Some people usually have "a lot of achievements", are outstanding, and are surrounded by stars, resulting in a mental set: they can only succeed but not fail, coupled with the particularity of the game, the high expectations of society, the country, and the family, etc., make them worry about gains and losses. The mentality is aggravated, the psychological burden is too heavy, and such a strong psychological gain and loss troubles me, how can I play to my due level!On the other hand, the lack of self-confidence leads to stage fright, which restricts the development of one's potential.

There was once an athlete named Jason who was usually well-trained and strong, but he failed repeatedly in the sports arena, disappointing himself and others.It is not difficult to see that this is mainly caused by excessive pressure and excessive tension.Therefore, people call this phenomenon of performing well in normal times, but failing in official competitions due to lack of proper psychological quality, called the Jansen effect.

The Johnson effect has also appeared in Chinese athletes. Before the 2004 Athens Olympics, Li Xiaopeng, the world champion of Chinese men's gymnastics who was expected to win gold, performed abnormally in the men's individual competition and only won a bronze medal on parallel bars.It was also him who won the championships of these two events at the 2003 World Gymnastics Championships, and was also the gold medalist on the parallel bars at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.Therefore, we cannot say that he does not have the strength to win gold. In fact, he said in an interview after the game that the main reason for his abnormal performance this time was that some special circumstances brought him great pressure and nervousness.The Johnson effect is also common in students' exams.

Also in the Athens Olympics, the Chinese women's volleyball team defeated the Russian team 3:2 and won the Olympic championship.When the national anthem of the People's Republic of China was played and the national flag was raised, how many people shed tears.This is not just because we won, but more because of the women's volleyball spirit shown in the process.In fact, they lost to the Russian team in two games at first, and the Chinese team, which could not lose another game, did not appear flustered as expected in the third game. against the opponent.In this way, the Chinese girl who regained her confidence had the last laugh.Therefore, we have to say that the good psychological quality of the Chinese women's volleyball team won.There is also the female table tennis player Deng Yaping. Although she has retired, every time we mention her, we always think that her victory or defeat on the court depends on the critical moment of the last few balls.She herself once said that, in fact, technology is sometimes evenly matched, and at this time it depends on psychological quality.

Many students also have a similar phenomenon.Usually, I have a solid foundation of study and adequate preparation before the exam. However, when it comes to the big exam, I perform abnormally, often manifested as nervousness, panic, and even memory loss. My mind seems to be blank.The main reason is that students have high expectations for the exam and lack self-confidence.I only want to succeed, but I am afraid of failure, worry about gains and losses, and feel too much pressure.As a result, the process of excitation and inhibition of the cerebral cortex becomes unbalanced, the autonomic nerve function is disordered, and various symptoms arise thereupon.The first step is to increase confidence.Only by fully believing in one's own strength can one be calm and calm in the examination room, make oneself enter the "role" and perform at a normal level.The second is to downplay the test results and focus on the specific process.Don't think too much about the results of the test, and reduce the interference factors during the test.Instead, focus on specific problem-solving, which can not only improve the accuracy of answering questions, but also keep the mind calm and relaxed.Third, pay attention to using more positive words to arouse positive emotions, especially when encountering difficulties, use words such as "calm! Be careful! Take a deep breath!" to suggest yourself, take a deep breath, and use less negative words, such as "Don't be nervous! Don’t panic! Don’t make mistakes!” and other words.

So, how do we avoid the Jensen effect?

1. Get rid of irrational ideas in your mind.

Many students with test anxiety and nervousness often say to themselves or to others: "I must succeed at all costs in important exams." "If I fail in important exams, I will be worthless and others will Look down on me, I will lose face." "If I fail in the exam, my future will be ruined." Although these words can strengthen their determination to enter the university, they can easily cause anxiety and are not conducive to normal performance.If you want to avoid the Johnson effect, you should pay attention to correcting these incorrect ideas in normal times, develop a good habit of treating exams with a normal heart, reduce tension, and better display your own level.

2. Strengthen comprehensive training and improve test strategies.

Usually, the quiz is aimed at partial knowledge, and the big test often focuses on the comprehensive application of knowledge before and after and even the knowledge of various subjects.We need to strengthen the integrated understanding and flexible application of various knowledge, improve the ability to solve problems, and form effective strategies to deal with comprehensive problems.In addition, it is also necessary to reflect on the performance of the previous exams, find problems, and find countermeasures.

3. To recognize the purpose of the "playing field" and overcome fear.

The arena is not scary, it's just more formal than usual.We must calmly get out of the narrow shadow of worrying about gains and losses, not greedy for success, but only to develop our own level normally.The arena is a high-level and high-level contest, and it is also often a contest of psychological quality. "When you meet on a narrow road, the brave wins." As long as you build up your self-confidence, every hard work will definitely pay off.Finally, a satisfactory answer sheet will be delivered.

There are wind and rain on the road of life, cloudy and sunny.Treating it negatively, it means suffering or resentment, and worrying people; while treating it positively, it can be seen as love or interest, just like what Su Shi said, "There will be no wind and rain, and there will be no sunshine", which can give people a sense of happiness. Return to the pure state of the same self with a kind of indifferent and quiet taste.In Song Dynasty Zhou Mi's "Win Jiangyue", "Such a country, still the wind and the moon", even though the world is hot and cold, but it is just a moment of wind and rain and clear sky;

Psychology class:
1. Overcome your inner fear and believe that you can.

2. Failure is the mother of success, even if it really fails, it is not terrible.What matters is the next success.

(End of this chapter)