Essay on Barriers to Critical Thinking

The environment determines the way a person thinks and views life. This is the reason why people have a different sense of humor and are offended by different things (Cottrell, 2011). The environment one grows up instills behavior, expectations and the moral values of a person. Therefore, the beliefs of a person determine their way of thinking; these act as a barrier to critical thinking as a person could develop ego defenses and self-serving bias (Ennis, 2011). It is sometimes hard for someone to think critically if the outcome of their decisions is already predefined. It is advisable for one to have an open mind before making a choice.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

Enculturation determines the way a person views different aspects of life such as good and evil. The moral values of a person are as a result of their upbringing. The decisions made by a person depend on whether they believe whether that person thinks it is the right thing to do. In critical thinking, one should think of all possible options, but considering the moral values of a person, some options are not put to consideration (Cottrell, 2011).

Behavior and expectations are also as a result of enculturation (Ennis, 2011). This may hinder critical thinking as one is expected to behave in a particular manner. For example, a person who is brought up as a Christian is supposed to be kind and humble; this could hinder a person from defending himself when bullied. Thus one cannot come up with a different outcome because it is already anticipated that the decisions should be in conjunction with a set of rules. This is not critical thinking but conditional-thinking (Ennis, 2011).

It is hard for someone to think critically if that person thinks he is always right and has defense mechanisms to justify their answer. Many people are not aware of their ego defenses, but they come up with ways to defend themselves from guilt and anxiety. Denial of the fact that one has faults can be a base of egotistical thinking. It could lead to arrogance as one is not open to corrections and not open to other views. This hinders critical thinking as one is not ready to reason with others or their opinions (Ennis, 2011).

It is important for one to overcome their fears and bear in mind that other people can come up with new and better ideas. This way all possible outcomes are considered and critical thinking encouraged. Letting go of one's ego promotes respect among people, and when it comes to making decisions, they aid in moral support, analyzing and different opinions on how a certain topic may be handled (Cottrell, 2011). Thus the self-serving bias where one is ready to defend their actions and blame others for their mistakes is minimized. Self- serving bias keep people from differentiating between fact and opinion. As one thinks of their views as the only truth. It also one of the reasons that make people take credit for something they did not do.

An individual cannot solve all problems. Which brings about the importance of accepting ideas from people of diverse cultural backgrounds, who have a different ideology of how to perform a particular task. Open mindedness brings about new ideas and promotes critical thinking.

References

Cottrell, S. (2011). Critical thinking skills: Developing effective analysis and argument. Palgrave Macmillan.

Ennis, R. (2011). Critical thinking.