Psychology is a science, NOT just Common Sense

This is an excerpt from an excellent book that I am currently reading:

It's no surprise that people who are faced with choices about how to influence others will often base their decisions on thinking that's grounded in fields such as economics, political science and public policy. What's puzzling, however, is how frequently decision-makers fail to consider established theories and practices in psychology.

One explanation is that, in contrast to how they regard the fields of economics, political science and public policy, which requires learning from outsiders to achieve even a minimal level of competence, people believe they already possess an intuitive understanding of psychological principles simply by virtue of living life and interacting with others. This overconfidence leads people to miss golden opportunities.

It is really sad to see otherwise smart people feverously deny any chance to improve their soft-skills, to attend seminars about human behaviour, influence, negotiations, etc. Their thinking appears to be something of the sort "Hey dude, can't you see what great a manager I am? How did I get here? Because I am smart and because I am good, really good. I need no silly seminars to tell me how to do my job!".

As the book says, they believe they already have ALL the skills they need, plus they believe (in their hearts) that they do a damned good job, almost perfect. They think that psychology is common sense; if you are smart enough you can figure it out by yourself. But it's not that way. Psychology is a real science and you definitely cannot figure it out. Just read a couple of good texts and after your jaw drops to the floor for a couple dozens of times you will know that you could never have figured it out.

Needless to say, the competition will sooner or later do their part of the studying and inevitably they will outrun these managers and their companies. It's as certain as death and taxes.

Have fun,

Dimitris Staikos

Comments

[adamo]

Well it is pretty common that people who are successful in one sector think that they can equally succeed in the next sector they find themselves into.

[Suraj Gunwant]

Hi, I'm keen to read some of the best texts ever written on psychology which help me understand this science better, pls help me know what's in there.
I currently have 'The Interpretation of Dreams' but it's kind of heavy, something easy to understand, yet thought provoking.

[Raveet]

well written