Just
a reminder that the purpose of this discussion aims at stimulating
thought and self awareness as tools
to help those in recovery
from trauma learn how to make safer
choices. To make the discussion a bit lighter, we've defined
Cognitive Biases as “CranioRectal
Inversions” (CRI).
In the
context of spiritual abuse and how biases effect us, I thought of
other instances that strike me as similar to the Cheerleader
Effect but involve more of what is actually a type of Attribution Bias. (There's more to come about that bias in posts to
come.) There are several subtypes of this type, but I see the
effects of what we see, believe is available, and find desirable as a
consequence as similar to some of the factors that may be in play in
the Cheerleader Bias. We also can tend to be more open to
considering owning the same things that they do because the
association connotes the idea that those things are somehow better
than equally good alternatives.
Captive to Context
We draw
conclusions from contextual clues, and quick, visual ones can be
quite powerful. I chose some obvious examples of how our tendency to
suspend our judgement based on assumptions we make about the social
weight created by contrasts within groups. Pleasant scenes connote
happiness. Those pictured with people, events, or props that society
equates with success are assumed to also be successful. Without this
human trait, Madison Avenue might well be known for producing widgets
instead of advertising.
I first
thought of a teacher in high school as he discussed alcoholism. When
we see advertising for alcoholic beverages, we see images of success
that are tailored to the demographic that likes a particular product.
Sexy, demure women in black velvet dresses seated in limousines sell
Johnny Walker Black. Scenes of costal Mexico and the Caribbean bid
beach lovers to buy Corona. I remember considering the Miller High
Life commercials that played on TV when the teacher brought this up.
The actors seemed much like my father who only drank a single, ice
cold bottle of Miller a few days of the month during July and August.
I've never seen him sip Scotch.
We don't
see ads with street people holding a bottles of whiskey or power
drinks. There are no depressed souls drinking microbrew beer as they
weep. Though we see “results not typical” in diet program
advertisements in small print at the bottom of the screen, the image
sells us the idea that the product is the perfect panacea. Apart
from the desirable looking people in such ads can sometimes even
convince us that we can't live without a particular product. (We
didn't know that we wanted such a thing!)Celebrities and Influence
I found
this funny photo online
which reminded me of this bias. The woman pictured with her children
explained that her husband never showed up for their family portrait
for their Christmas cards. At the studio, there happened to be a
life-sized, cardboard cut out of Eddie Murphy. The woman thought
that it would be a great gag, and she actually sent the photo out in
cards without telling anyone ahead of time. Hey, if your husband
doesn't show, who else would you like to have stand in? Apart
from the silliness, Murphy's celebrity factor could make it seem that
the woman and children are as successful and desirable than they
really are.
Who in blue blazes would steam themselves? Why? It sounds more dangerous than beneficial? What are the true benefits? Where is the data? How did women surivive before they heard of Gwyneth Paltrow and her strange advice?
It reminds me of how I'd heard that Monica Lewinsky's shade of lipstick sold out within 24 hours of her TV interview with Barbara Walters in 1999.
(To me, it seems like a reason NOT to wear that kind of lipstick.)
An upcoming post will feature more discussion of
the
powerful affects of liking and social proof.
For Further Reading:
- One of the $3 Kindle books about Cognitive Bias at Amazon.com
- Gilovich, Griffin & Kahneman's Heuristics and Biases
- Robert Cialdini's Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion
