Self-Centeredness: A Symptom Of Thinking Small
Self-centeredness has become a staple of our modern society. Rare nowadays are situations where a person gives up on personal ambition to aid in the betterment of another individual. It does happen but at far less frequency than someone who looks out only for his or her personal interests.
From a systems perspective, humans make decisions about the actions that they take. Before taking an action, one’s mind processes multiple inputs about a given situation as part of the decision-making process. If the inputs into the mind are limited, than a particular decision may be made that is not an optimal one. For instance, failing to think larger about the impact on the global environment may lead to someone making the decision to discard a potentially recyclable item in the trash.
Furthermore, take almost any wrongdoing that you can think of and put it through this systems thinking filter. Embezzlement, bullying, lying, stealing, cheating, etc all make the grade for self-centered acts. The bully who beats up another child does so to make him or herself feel good without regard to the impact on the other child. Embezzlement stuffs the pockets of the embezzler to the detriment of the organization from which money was taken.
What if the bully was able to consciously visualize that there is an impact on the life of the child that he or she is bullying? What if an embezzler actually thought about the ramifications to the organization from which cash was siphoned away from? The ability to think at a higher level about a situation (systems thinking) has the possibility to change the inputs that are sent into the brain of an individual.
By changing inputs, there is at least a chance that behavior might change as well. I won’t go so far as to claim that systems thinking will fix everything in this world. In fact, many people think systemically yet those inputs to the decision-making process do not stop bad decisions from being made. However, systems thinking is a skill that when activated can assure that at least the right inputs are present in the mind. By activating systems thinking in the mind of an individual, we can begin to make a difference one individual at a time.
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Dr. Bradley W. Semp
Dr. Brad helps businesses to Design for Action! Click here to learn more.
Self centered behavior also impacts our work like happiness. If we are totally focused on ourselves rather than serving our employers and helping co-workers, we risk being discouraged about our work and fall into self pity
Every decision that we make is based on everything we have experienced prior to that decision being made. Our brains process everything we see and hear, and then use that info to help us through each and every day. Interrupting that process requires a high level of consciousness that most do not posses. Self centeredness is a symptom of years of our current norms that society has come to accept. Sharing everything we have internally is the only way that things will improve…the challenge is making it happen!