Paradigms and Subconscious Mind

RELATED ARTICLES

Summary

This insightful paper delves into the intricate relationship between paradigms and the subconscious mind, shedding light on their often-misunderstood nature.

Paradigms encompass a complex framework of assumptions, concepts, values, practices, and rules that shape an individual's or community's perception of reality. Significantly entrenched within our subconscious, these paradigms exert a profound influence on our day-to-day decision-making processes. The author reveals that these paradigms can be utterly irrational. Many of these deeply rooted subconscious paradigms take shape during our formative years, when our cognitive capacities are still developing. As a result, we may unwittingly base our decisions on flawed reasoning, oblivious to the underlying influences at play.

The paper asserts that our actions and choices are frequently guided by subconscious precepts of which we remain blissfully unaware. Given the irrational and subconscious nature of paradigms, a significant portion of our actions occur on an unconscious and uncontrollable level. Hence, the author urges caution against hastily passing negative judgments upon others based on their spontaneous actions, as their actions may be driven not by conscious choice, but rather by the subtle workings of subconscious paradigms.

Click here to find more related articles.

Introduction

To understand the connection between paradigms and the subconscious mind, it is important to first define these terms. In this article, we will explore the meaning of paradigms, while a detailed explanation of the subconscious mind and its working can be found in my article "What is Subconscious Mind? How Does it Impact our Behaviour?"

What is a Paradigm?

Defining the term paradigm can be challenging, as it can have varying meanings for different individuals. However, it can be best understood through a story or riddle, which goes as follows:

A father and son were once driving in a car on a highway. Unfortunately, the car met with an accident and the father died on the spot. The son was severely injured. He was rushed to the hospital where the city's best surgeon was called to attend to the boy in the hospital. The surgeon looked at the boy and declared, "I cannot operate on my son". Who was the surgeon?

This riddle has puzzled many people, and if you haven't figured it out yet, I encourage you to try again before you see the answer in the next paragraph.

The answer is that the most renowned surgeon in town was actually the boy's mother!

Why do most people struggle to solve this riddle? It's because of a preconceived notion that is deeply ingrained in our minds: the idea that the most successful surgeon can only be a man, not a woman. Our minds are conditioned in such a way that the word "surgeon" evokes an image of a male figure.

This conditioning or the deep-seated notion is a result of our experiences and surroundings which we encounter throughout our lives, starting from childhood. This phenomenon is what we refer to as paradigms - a set of assumptions, concepts, values, practices, and rules that shape the way a community or individual perceives reality. Paradigms are a set of assumed rules, not necessarily logical or true, that form the basis of our conclusions and decisions.

Write to Me | Comments | Related Articles | Top

Paradigm and Subconscious mind

Our minds are filled with judgments and conclusions that our brains have processed and stored - some of them are rational, while others are entirely irrational. Some of our conclusions may be flawed because they were formed during our childhood, a time when we lacked the maturity to make sound judgments. These conclusions become embedded in our subconscious minds and affect our day-to-day decision-making. Although times change, conditions change, and we grow older and wiser to render our old paradigms invalid or null, but certain paradigms remain buried in our subconscious minds and drive our decisions. My article What is Subconscious Mind....?" discusses in details the "how and why" of this phenomenon.

Our thought processes and conclusions are often influenced by subconscious paradigms, which can be entirely irrational. Yet we base our decisions on them without realizing it.

The way we were attempting to solve the surgeon riddle provided a fascinating proof of our irrational reasoning. Our brain was working with a fixed and false notion that the best surgeon in town could only be a male, or maybe even a notion that every surgeon in town could only be a male. We were not even aware of our preconceived notion, and how it was influencing our decision. This illustrates how our minds often arrive at conclusions and decisions based on illogical premises without our conscious awareness.

While solving the riddle, our brain had ample time to analyze and decide with our conscious mind. Yet it could not arrive at an appropriate conclusion because it was stuck with a subconscious paradigm. In our daily lives, our brains make split-second decisions and incessantly drive our actions. Imagine the quality of decisions and actions based on these unconscious paradigms when we have limited time to analyze and produce an output. It is evident that such decisions can be of poor quality, leading to suboptimal actions.

We often claim to be balanced individuals who make decisions based on carefully weighed facts. However, the reality is quite different. Our actions and decisions are frequently influenced by subconscious precepts that we are not even aware of. These precepts are often based on illogical paradigms that have been ingrained in our minds since childhood, and we continue to rely on them without recognizing their influence.

Many of these subconscious paradigms are formed during our early years when our ability to think clearly is limited. These paradigms can become deeply ingrained in our subconscious minds and are reinforced by various experiences. As a result, we may find ourselves making decisions based on flawed reasoning without even realizing it. So, it is unlikely that we can truly claim to make decisions based purely on objective, logical analysis.

Write to Me | Comments | Related Articles | Top

What is the Learning?

We can derive some important life lessons based on the above discussions. Humans cannot always act based on well-thought-out decisions or mature arguments. Our actions may be influenced by illogical conclusions that are deeply ingrained in our brains. Therefore, if we encounter individuals who behave oddly or inconsistently, we should understand that they are not acting out of choice but are driven by subconscious paradigms. Our actions are not always controlled.

We should also acknowledge that we are no different from others in this regard - we too are often influenced by illogical thinking. We can be as illogical as we think others to be.

It is not appropriate to judge a person based on just one or two actions because we do not know the circumstances that led to their behavior. Instead, it is better to adopt a lenient view of others and assume that they are inherently good unless we have irrefutable evidence to the contrary. By doing so, we can avoid making hasty and adverse judgments about the people we encounter.

Go Back | Go Top

Home Top