Critical Thinking landmines part two, groupthink the herd mentality. There's an old but worthwhile statement. When everybody thinks alike, no one thinks very much. It has much truth to it. Critical Thinking by its very nature questions, ideas, opinions and thoughts of yourself and others. It uses internal and external reflection.

There are three reasons it can be tough to escape the groupthink mentality. They are number one, the groupthink mentality is present every day from many sources. radio, television, newspapers, magazines, and the internet all reflect the current so called normal thinking. Too many times opinions are stated as fact by self proclaimed experts. they cater to the most uninformed many times. Unfortunately, many people don't question what they hear, nor do they question the source of information before repeating it as gospel number two problems of the world are complex.

For the non critical thinker, the world is a much simpler place to live in. Number three, the drive for acceptance from others is a strong motivating factor. thinking outside the group can be uncomfortable. However, it is necessary for the critical thinker. Becoming a critical thinker takes conscious and constant diligence. a critical thinker continually asked the questions.

Does this make sense? If so, why? If not, why not? Let me give you an example of the herd mentality. David Crockett was best known for his adventures in the wilderness and fighting at the Alamo. He also served as a congressman, where he was known to be an honest and conscientious man.

During the time of his tenure in Congress, a law known as the Indian Removal Act of 1830, was being debated. This was a proposed law that would relocate the five civilized tribes of native ma Americans living east of the Mississippi River to further west. It was favored by many who would gain access to lands inhabited by these tribes. They influenced many congressman David Crockett was one of the few in Congress who spoke against the Indian Removal Act. It was passed after a bitter debate in Congress by a small margin, and then signed into law by Andrew Jackson. The relocation of the five tribes had many hardships.

It became known as the Trail of Tears. Thousands of Indians died during the forced relocation. David Crockett was a strong critical thinker who followed his own beliefs and values. He couldn't be bribed to support any measure he thought was wrong. His celebrated motto was, be sure that you are right and go ahead. The drone mentality It is easy to fall into a pattern of not paying attention to the world, people and surroundings.

This thrown mentality can sneak up at any time. Working through daily chores without thinking is one symptom. Another symptom is to shy away from new challenges or problems. Many people live this pattern for years, sometimes decades. Without a conscious effort, it is easy to lose critical thinking skills over time. There are some serious problems to not paying attention to what goes on the drone mentality can cost dearly.

The movie Catch me if you can buy Steven Spielberg is about a young man who is a brilliant master of deception. It is based on the real life exploits of Frank Abagnale Jr, who successfully passed himself off as a teacher, a pilot, a doctor and a lawyer, all before he reached his 21st birthday. He did this in the late 1960s Frank Abagnale Jr. Used disguise and deception to get away with this antics. He passed all bad checks to finances expensive lifestyle by targeting drone like people you stole the bulk of his money from corporations. Today, fraud and theft criminals still prey on drone like people. However, now it is personal.

Identity theft and fraud are at epidemic proportions. The scams are getting more creative and damaging. It is tough enough for a critical thinker to protect personal and private information and not get caught in a scam. A drone like mentality can cost individuals significant time as well as thousands, if not 10s of thousands of dollars or more. Identity Theft alone has affected several million people in the United States and is growing. always protect personal information.

If approached about a deal, where someone asked for money, be very skeptical, ask does this deal Make sense? If so, why? If not, why not? sidestepping the landmines to sidestep the critical thinking landmines. First become aware of them, then make a conscious effort to avoid them. Becoming a strong critical thinker requires continually questioning your thinking and ideas, as well as the thinking and ideas of others.

This separates you from the crowd. The power and confidence gain by making informed decisions is a worthwhile reward. Thanks for watching