A mindset is an assumption or a notion held by an individual or groups of people and when they become established, they form strong incentives that lead people to adopt prior behaviors and choices. Mindsets are part of what is psychologically known as cognitive bias and group think is one of the best examples of mindsets and biases (Facione, 2007). Mindsets and biases influence every event, thing or person that we come across and they shape people’s perceptions more than any other thing. Mindsets and biases make people to judge events and other people from a subjective point of view meaning that their judgments are often lopsided.
Mindsets and biases lead to the development of stereotypes which are skewed conclusions made by people about events, things or persons based on scant information. Most of the perceptions that people have about most of the things in this world are shaped by mindsets and biases. Why do people form mindsets and biases. Most people usually want to understand the world from their own perspective and they make judgments from a perspective that goes hand in hand with their subjective understanding (Fisher, 1997). Mindsets and biases therefore hinder critical thinking because when one is using what they have set in their mind to judge a person, a situation or a thing, they do not utilize the elements of thought and intellectual standards. Mind sets and biases therefore do not utilize any thought process and are the major impediments to critical thinking.
What are some of the examples and consequences of mindsets and biases in the American society? One of the most common mindset that is used to make biases against a section of the American society has a racist background. There is a mindset among the white Americans that Latinos are criminals by nature. This mindset tends to lump all the Latinos together without making an effort of enquiring about the nature of every individual. Most Latinos living in the United States of America entered the country illegally and Americans understand that illegal immigration is a big crime meaning that anyone who enters the country illegally is a criminal. Therefore, the natives of United States of America have developed a mindset that all Latinos are predisposed to commit crime and this mindset also affects those Latinos who entered into the country legally. This mindset and bias against the Latin American community in the united state of America has had very negative consequences for these people because in a crime scene, Latinos are usually the first suspects. People also live in fear of the immigrants from Mexico and Latin American countries and this is one of the factors that have impeded harmonious co existence between races in United States of America. Americans also believe that Latinos are intellectually challenged. This is a mindset that has been created by the media and has crept into the academic setting where teachers have already formed attitudes that Latino children cannot excel in academics. This has affected the Hispanics especially in the job market where it has become increasingly hard for the Latinos to get competitive jobs.
These mindsets and biases have crept into the homeland security and the media is to blame for the formation of many negative mindset and biases against the efforts of the homeland security department. To start with, the building of the Wall in Texas to keep away illegal immigrants was negatively received by Americans. They did not have time to evaluate the benefits of this wall because most of them were quick to conclude the wall was politically motivated. Some newspaper columnists even claimed that the wall was built hurriedly because George Bush wanted it to be completed before his second term was over. Another area of homeland security that has been affected by mindsets and biases is the use of RFID technology in public buildings and even hospitals.
The is a lot of negative talk about the RFID technology especially in the media and the problem is that most of these people bashing the technology are not authorities in the matters of law enforcement technology. Americans also have mindsets and biases against increased surveillance by the department of homeland security especially after the September 9 2001 attacks in America. Surveillance in American airports has been one of the victims of negative mindsets and biases because people do not sit down and critically think about the benefits of the improved surveillance mechanisms. They only think about how the department of homeland security is interested in invading their privacy. These mindsets and biases have affected the functioning of the department of homeland security because they create stiff opposition towards the effort of this department.
In conclusion, mindset and biases can only be avoided if people analyzed information objectively before making conclusions. This enables people make well informed judgments guided by elements of thought and intellectual standards (Dauer, 2007).
References
Dauer, F. (2007). Critical thinking. London: Wadsworth.
Facione, P. (2007). The disposition towards critical thinking. Dubuque Iowa: Kendall publishing.
Fisher, A. (1997), Critical thinking: definition and Assessment. London: Edge press.