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Decision making and its consequences
Decision making and its consequences
Decision making and its consequences
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Dan Ariely takes a unique perspective on decision making. Author Dan Ariely proposes that we really aren't as in control of our decisions as we believe we are. Instead we are conditioned to make decisions based on certain influences of our intrinsic and extrinsic life. He refutes the common assumption that we behave in fundamentally irrational ways; He instead proposes our decisions are very rational in our minds. Decision making depends on the person, however their decisions can be easily foreseeable. Ariely goes deeper into the thought that expectations, emotions, social norms, and other invisible, seemingly illogical forces alter our reasoning abilities.
Ariely reveals we make simple mistakes everyday such as overpaying, underestimating, and procrastinating. Easily avoidable mistakes with the help of good decision making
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skills. Our decisions are not random nor unpredictable; our systematic decisions makes us predictably irrational. Ariely proposes that our decision making is really fixed and easily inevitable. He gives us a look on how to shake these systematic patterns and proceed to making better decisions. Instead of letting the world continue to work in a methodical way, author Dan Ariely gives us a eye-opening, wake up call of which we can either use to our advantage or let slip away. Ariely provides us an opportunity to learn and use better understanding to then make better decisions. Biological psychology is otherwise known as biopsychology, "a field in which mid-body connection is explored through scientific research and clinical practice." Biopsychology is more specifically, the basis of thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Dan Ariely's book, Predictably Irrational, is written using biopsychology because he discusses the thought process behind decision making. I believe the author could be considered a biological psychologist as well as several others; Predictably Irrational is also considered several other forms of psychology. One of which is cognitive psychology; This is the study of human mental processes. Predictably Irrational could also be considered to be written from a cognitive psychological perspective because Ariely describes thought process behind making decisions. Social psychology "deals with social interactions, including their origins and their effects on the individual." His book may also be considered written from a social psychological perspective because Ariely speaks about how the people we associate with, or even strangers, affect our decision making. Behaviorism is described as "behavior that can be explained in terms of conditioning." This form of psychology is also in Predictably Irrational because some believe decision making can be conditioned into us by our parents, or by making the same decision over and over. Humanism is the "common human needs, seeking solely rational ways of problem solving." Therefore humanism is also used in Dan Ariely's book because sometimes people make decisions, positive or negative, simply because they need the result of the decision. In "Inquiries Journal", Cindy Dietrich also talks about decision making.
Dietrich proposes there are several factors of which help us make decisions: past experiences, cognitive bias, age, individual differences, belief in personal relevance, escalation of commitment. Ariely doesn't speak about all of the decision making skills that Dietrich does, however he does write about a few of them. Instead of decision making as a whole, Ariely instead proposes specific instances where a decision is required. In Predictably Irrational, Ariely introduces decision making instances: relevancy in decision making, arousal, supply and demand fallacies, buying "deals", expenses and dishonesty. Dietrich also mentions that decision is the root of all that we do and plays a major role in whether or not we feel happy or successful in life. Goal and plan based decisions work towards goals you want instead of happiness or usefulness (Kranz and Kunreuther 2007). Dietrich agrees with Ariely because they both believe that decision making is very important to a happy life. In order for to feel good about your decisions, it's useful to have good decision making
skills. A writer from "Knowledge at Whorton" interviews author of "Invisible Influence", Jonah Berger. This particular author gave us an inside look on why we make the decisions we do. The writer asked Berger about specific examples of practical decisions we make on a day-to-day basis. Overal, Berger would agree that majority of our decisions has to do with social influence. Socially influential decisions boil down to whether we agree with what our peers do, or if we would rather be different or diverse from the people around us. A specific example of this Berger describes, is when your neighbor buys a new car. You may want to buy a new car as well, or you may want to buy an SUV instead of the Sudan your neighbor bought;to be diverse. This kind of decision making depends on what kind of person you are and what you desire for yourself and for your life. This relates to Predictably Irrational because Ariely also writes about social influence decisions as well as giving an example of buying a car. Ariely would most likely agree with Berger on social influence and how it affects our decisions. Dan Ariely reveals everyday life decisions in which people make illogical decisions, decisions of which may not be the best option. His decisions making advice for certain instances, are relevant for all parts of life. These skills are pertinent to everyday life because of their usefulness to good decisions. Good decisions can help make your life what you want it to be, make you happy as well as feel successful. Making smart and logical decisions make you feel good, as well as have great results. Predictably Irrational contains a lot of great advice all of which can help guide you to the lifestyle you want. Many other writers agree with Ariely's observations and input on decision making, therefore resulting in his book being a major strength to the decision making study. However, some psychologists argue that there are only very few things that contribute to decision making while Ariely believes many things help shape our decisions.
Do we control the judgments and decisions that we make every day? In the book,
ABSTRACT: In light of interpreting a paradox of irrationality, vaguely expressed by Donald Davidson in the context of explaining weakness of will, I attempt to show that it contains a significant thesis regarding the cognitive as well as motivational basis of our normative practice. First, an irrational act must involve both a rational element and a non-rational element at its core. Second, irrationality entails free and intentional violation of fundamental norms which the agent deems right or necessary. Third, "normative interpretation" is only possible for objects that are both natural events and capable of mental operations which presuppose some freedom of will as well as constructive representation of the surrounding reality. Fourth, there is always a question of whether we strike the best balance between fitting individual mental items consistently with the overall behavior pattern and keeping our critical ability in following certain normative principles which constitute our rational background. Fifth, the paradox of irrationality reflects and polarizes a deep-seated tension in the normative human practice under the ultimate constraints of nature. Finally, the ultimate issue is how we can find the best lines on which our normative rational standards are based-"best" in the sense that they are close enough to limits of human practical potentialities and are not too high as to render our normative standards idle or even disastrous.
Everyday, humans are faced with moral or logical decisions constantly alter the universe that surrounds them. One can assume that these decisions are fabricated based on one’s knowledge or previous experiences, and not influenced by outside factors. However, independence is merely a social construct, designed to induce the feeling of supremacy over one’s actions. Similar to animals, humans live in a society where each member must fulfil a role in the community, follow a pre-established social protocol, and follow the “herd”. Any individual who deviates from the protocol, or disagrees with the general consensus, is shunned by the community and branded as an outcast. It is this common practice that influences one’s decision making process, wondering
Rational choice theory, developed by Ronald Clarke and Derek Cornish in 1985, is a revival of Cesare Becca...
"Quotes about Decision Making, Sayings about Choices." The Quote Garden - Quotes, Sayings, Quotations, Verses. Web. 22 Mar. 2011. .
Difficult choosing discloses people’s inherited characteristics. The main problem is that society tries to burden us with its ow list of morally good/bad choices. But, every human has its own compass which tells what is morally good/bad, and which situations requires them to make a reasonable decision. So, we can uncover our ability for moral commitment.
Tversky, A., & Kahneman, D. (1981). The framing of decisions and the psychology of choice. Science, 211(4481), 453–458.
The world we live in is overflowing with choices and chances. Every day, each and every human must make thousands of decisions. Some decisions may be rather simple to make, or not present a high chance for an unfavorable outcome. While one may decide the apple they picked up from the store is not very sweet, the cost lost on the apple is rather minimal and the consumer will most likely be presented with many more opportunities to pick a delicious apple. However, some choices are much more complicated. Decisions such as where to invest one’s money, or what physical challenges to endure, present very serious consequences. If the wrong decision is made, one could lose their financial security, or even their life.
Spencer Johnson’s book, “Yes” or “No”; The Guide to Better Decisions gave a great perspective on how to make better decisions. By following the two-part journey to arrive at a better decision, any life choice can be effortlessly and hastily solved. From the choices we make more often like our attitude and health choices, to our deeper choices like our spiritual and relationship choices, simply analyzing what we need vs. what we want and asking ourselves a practical vs. personal question can save a lot of time in the long run by allowing you to completely ignore making the wrong decision and dealing with its consequences. Understanding the messages and principles given in this book can make the entire process a natural process and lead to making even a good decision maker, the best decision
...s go about making judgments and choices. Both theories play an intrinsic role with behavioral decision making and have proven to be successful approaches for management (Shanteau, 2001).
Making decisions is really much more complicated than it seems. When I make decisions, my Id, Ego, and Superego decide my fate. Unfortunately for me, my Id wins far too often, as I often do not study enough. Other personality traits, such as my tendency to over-think and analyze too many things, also play a role. This can influence my other behaviors by making me seem cold and distant with others because I’m too busy thinking. My self-concept is also important.
As human beings, our natural instinct causes us to impulsively respond to emotional situations and triggers behavior that becomes learned, a reaction chemically part of us that is deeply rooted in our brains and bodies. The learned behavior and resulting outcome have the ability motivate future behavior. However, the decision and fulfillment of such action relies heavily on self-determination, a product of our nurturing that gives us moral accountability when making tough or emotional choices. As we grow and mature, moral precedents are set when our natural instincts, emotional reactions, and conscious decisions intersect, however, a constant internal battle exists, as we fight back and forth between our instincts, free-will, and moral responsibilities. What we make of this is what arises as our distinct morality.
Mistakes are actually a very influential part of a person’s upbringing in life. Mistakes shape a person’s character to make them who they are today. A mistake can teach someone many different life lessons that will better them as a person and make their lives more enjoyable. A person will commit a mistake usually when he or she is distracted. Distraction is the number one cause of mistakes in our world today. Many people are afraid of making mistakes, so they play it safe in life and don’t strive to achieve everything they are capable of achieving. This is a very bad thing. People should not be afraid of the potential mistakes there are to be made. Instead, they should focus more on the great lengths they could go in life by pursuing their goals. Mistakes will happen on life’s journeys,
Everyone, at some point in their life, has made a mistake. Sometimes we get lucky and only falter a little, making it through the problem relatively intact. Other times, we mess up a lot and have to fix what was damaged over a long period of time. However, the same is true for most, if not all cases—those who make the mistake learn from it. Often times, our failures teach us valuable lessons that we only gained because of the experience we gathered after messing up. I have personally achieved a wealth of knowledge and experience just from all of my own little mishaps, and a few major ones.
We make choices every hour, every minute, and every second of our lives; whether big or small our choices are slowly putting us in the direction we choose or end up. Many of us do not realize what contributes to the choices we make and why it affects others the same way if affects us and because of this many authors and writers have written stories and articles about coming to terms with making a choice and how to better ourselves when it comes to decision-making for the future.