The development of intellectual humility can offer individual and social benefits, as explained by a psychologist.
What Does It Mean to Be Intellectually Humble
Intellectual humility is a specific type of humility that relates to beliefs, ideas, or theories. It’s not just about religious beliefs; it can also manifest in political viewpoints, various social attitudes, fields of knowledge or expertise, or any other strong convictions. It has both internal and external dimensions.
Within yourself, intellectual humility involves awareness and acceptance of the limitations and biases in what you know and how you know it. It requires a willingness to adjust your opinions based on strong evidence.
Between people, it means moderating your ego so that you can present your ideas in a humble and respectful manner. It requires expressing your beliefs in non-defensive ways and acknowledging when you are wrong. It involves showing that you care more about learning and maintaining relationships than being “right” or demonstrating intellectual superiority.
Another way to think about humility, whether intellectual or otherwise, is to be the right size in any given situation: not too big (which is arrogance), but also not too small (which is self-deprecation).
I know a lot about psychology, but I don’t know much about opera. When I’m in professional environments, I can draw on the expertise I’ve gained over the years. But when visiting the opera house with more cultured friends, I need to listen and ask more questions, rather than confidently assert my ignorant opinion.
Four Key Aspects of Intellectual Humility
Intellectual humility encompasses four key aspects:
1. Rationality: Avoiding stubbornness and being willing to alter your beliefs.
2. Curiosity: Seeking new ideas and ways to expand and grow, and changing your mind to align with strong evidence.
3. Realism: Owning and acknowledging your flaws and limitations, and seeing the world as it is rather than how you wish it to be.
4. Teachability: Responding non-defensively and changing your behavior to align with new knowledge.
Intellectual humility is often hard work, especially when the stakes are high. Starting with the acknowledgment that you, like everyone else, have biases and cognitive flaws that limit your understanding, intellectual humility can seem like a genuine interest in a family member’s beliefs during a family gathering, rather than waiting for them to finish so you can prove them wrong by sharing your better opinion.
It can look like considering the validity of an alternative viewpoint in a contentious political issue and why decent, smart people might disagree with you. When you approach these challenging discussions with curiosity and humility, they become opportunities for learning and growth.
Why Intellectual Humility is a Strength
Although I have studied humility for years, I have not yet mastered it personally. It is hard to swim against cultural norms that reward being right and penalize being wrong. It requires ongoing work for development, but psychological science has documented many benefits.
First, there is social, cultural, and technological progress that we must take into account. Any major breakthrough in medicine, technology, or culture has come from someone who acknowledged that they didn’t know anything—then passionately sought knowledge with curiosity and humility. Progress requires recognizing what you don’t know and striving to learn something new.
Relationships improve when people are intellectually humble. Research has shown that intellectual humility is linked to greater tolerance toward those with whom you disagree.
For example, intellectually humble people accept those who hold differing religious and political views. A fundamental part of that is the willingness to entertain new ideas, making people less defensive about viewpoints that may be challenging. They are more forgiving, which can help repair and maintain relationships.
Finally, humility helps facilitate personal growth. Intellectual humility allows you to gain a more accurate view of yourself.
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If you can recognize your abilities and accept them, you can seek help in areas where you have room to grow, and you will be more receptive to information. When you restrict yourself to doing things the way you have always done them, you miss out on many opportunities for growth, expansion, and new experiences – things that inspire you and fill you with wonder and make life worth living.
Humility can open the door to authenticity and personal development.
Humility Does Not Mean Being Weak
Despite these benefits, humility sometimes gets a bad reputation. People can have misconceptions about intellectual humility, so it’s important to debunk some myths.
Intellectual humility does not mean being unsteady; you can strongly believe in something until your mind changes and you believe in something else. It also does not mean being inconsistent. You should have a high standard of evidence that you need to change your mind. It also does not mean being self-deprecating or always agreeing with others. Remember, it’s appropriate humility, not too small.
Researchers are working hard to document reliable ways to foster intellectual humility. I am part of a team overseeing a suite of projects designed to test different interventions for developing intellectual humility.
Some scientists are studying different ways of engaging in discussions, while others explore the role of enhanced listening. Some others are testing educational programs, and others look at whether different types of feedback and exposure to diverse social networks can enhance intellectual humility.
Previous research in this area suggests that humility can be cultivated, so we are excited to see what emerges as the most promising methods from this new effort.
There was another thing that religion taught me that was a little off. I was told that too much learning could be destructive; after all, you don’t want to learn too much so you don’t lose your faith.
Yet in my experience, what I’ve learned through loss may be what saved a version of my faith that I can sincerely endorse and feel authentic to my experiences. The more we open our minds and stop resisting change, the quicker we find the freedom that humility offers.
This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
Daryle Van Tongeren is an associate professor of psychology at Hope College, and his research focuses on the social motivation for meaning and its relationship to virtues and morality.
Curated by professional editors, The Conversation provides informed commentary and debate on the issues affecting our world.
Source: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-curious-joy-of-being-wrong/
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