In the last post we introduced the theory of Preference Falsification. The theory suggests that when someone identifies preferences in public which are contrary to their true belief, then preference falsification takes place (Kuran, 1995). In environments, organizations, and societies where there is fear, expressing beliefs which are contrary to the leadership and culture, preference falsification becomes a means of survival, and perhaps more destructively, a way of ascending; lying and denying becomes incentivized.
If no one in a group is prepared to express their true belief, then feedback between people and their leaders becomes cut off from reality. Take the stark examples of the Soviet Union provided by Solzhenitsyn (1973-78). The work of Solzhenitsyn illustrates how preference falsification can be compounded if there are incentives for passing on information concerning people who have contrary beliefs. This contributes to an environment where nobody dares speak the truth to anyone, not just leadership.
Looking at the above from another perspective, ingrained preference falsification becomes a facilitator for societal and organizational schizophrenia. What is perceived by a person is not accounted for phenomenologically, as it appears and seems to them. This means an experience is not discussed as it appears, instead it is re-presented through the lens of acceptability. The world can only be attended to from one perspective, or at least, accounted for through one perspective (McGilchrst, 2021).
What potentially results from the above is a denial of what has been perceived, and in its place a recharacterization of reality into an acceptable perspective. For the individual, this can place them at odds with their own senses and intuition, resulting in severe mental health outcomes (ibid).
The sustainability of a society and organization in which fear narrows perspective and warps reality is dependent on the degree of change in the environment. Adapting to change requires noticing developments in the environment. If only a single perspective is applied, the way a person attends to the world is one dimensional. This restricts the ability to notice.
Without noticing, knowing when to change and adapt in relationship with the external world becomes a near impossibility. The ability to take multiple perspectives means the familiar never loses its mystery or potential; the mind is alert and sensitive to change. This applies to the individual, organization, and society. A degree of focus is placed on what next? And when such questions are asked, and the answers embraced, imagination and intuition play a role; there is engagement with “what could be”.
By contrast, the single perspective allows change to progress unattended. Eventually, the accumulative effects of a constantly changing environment can no longer be explained away or denied, and then come crashing in. Instead of adaptation, we see collapse. For example, an organization which does not attend to external developments crashes, it has no coping strategies, only strategies to manage a very narrow set of events and routines. The same occurs within the individual. A fixed mental model collapses when it encounters a degree of change beyond the routine, the person simply does not know what to do (McGilchrist, 2021).
Creating conditions at the personal, organizational, and societal perspective which minimize preference falsification prevent the associated affects of disconnection from reality, limited perspective, and limited coping strategies. This can be achieved by attending to a variety of perspectives from multiple sources, and imaginatively playing with how different perspectives could apply to current and future challenges.
Reading
Solzhenitsyn, A. (1973-1978). The Gulag Archipelago: An Experiment in Literary Investigation (Vols. 1-3). Harper & Row.
Kuran, T. (1995). Private Truths, Public Lies: The Social Consequences of Preference Falsification. Harvard University Press.
McGilchrist, I., 2021. The Matter with Things: Our Brains, Our Delusions, and the Unmaking of the World. What Then is True?. Volume Two. Perspectiva Press
