8 Ways to Be Better at Self-Assessment

For the professional strategist, especially one using HAGT (Harrison’s Applied Game Theory) in their work, consistent #self-assessment is an essential tool for achieving #success and getting where you need to be both professionally, and personally.

??This is a perfect description of the application of common sense #gametheory-based strategizing. Of course, ?common sense is often not as common as we like to think it is, even for the clear-minded person. Which brings up to the famous quote “The unexamined life is not worth living” This?is a famous dictum apparently uttered by?Socrates?at?his trial?for?impiety?and corrupting youth, for which he was subsequently sentenced to death, as described in Plato's?Apology.

??The point is that without an examination of one’s life it is not possible to make effective #choices in a world of ever greater complexity.

??Many of my books and Podcasts are concerned with fundamental questions concerning who we are? Where we are going? What is the essence of reality? This includes how we create or derive meaning in all of it. These these might be classified as philosophical questions they must be asked by anyone seeking to live a life free of suffering and unnecessary struggle.

??In the service of this process, we must familiarize ourselves with the tools of contemplation, introspection, and self-assessment concerning how and why we and others behave the way we do.

??One of the most effective tools for achieving this are sociological assessments, especially those concerned with how humans behave. These can serve as a tool for self and group knowledge and for the creation of appropriate strategies.

??A Behavioral Assessment is the analysis and assessment of individual and/or group behavior using the qualitative and or quantitative research techniques associated with the field of sociology. There are many different types of assessments. Some are more scientific than others while some though less scientific may still serve a very specific, isolated purpose. For instance, in Holistic and energy medicine systems a practitioner will often evaluate“ energetic pathways” as an effective way of assessing a person..

??Behavioral assessments, on the other hand, have their roots in the academic discipline “Sociology” though they may be used by psychologists and within many other disciplines. These assessments are often scientific in their structure and application though this is not always the case.

??Behavioral assessments are conducted by gathering data, usually through surveys and questionnaires and analyzing this information either qualitatively and or quantitatively.

??As with most things in life, there is no one particular type of research technique that is standard. There are hundreds of research techniques and the most skilled professionals at doing this assessment work are sociologists. They can often define the best assessment tools and can isolate the different factors including statistical generalizability to a population, as well as obtaining a full contextual understanding of group member's lives within a group. In the most effective and productive assessments different research and assessment tools will be used to obtain the appropriate information. More often than not?studies combine a number of ?different

methodologies. Occasionally one researcher may use three different methods. This is known as Triangulation. Triangulation can help a researcher view an area of study from many different perspectives.

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Among the most common types of research methods for self-assessment and also measuring the potential behaviors of others while strategizing may be used alone or in combination with others to master common sense game theory-based strategizing ?are the following:

1.?????Reading Non-Verbal Cues: The ability to assess another person’s intentions by recognizing patterns in their body language?is a kind of nonverbal communication, where thoughts, intentions, or feelings are expressed by physical behaviors, such as facial expressions,?body posture, gestures, eye movement, touch and the use of physical space.

2.?????Archival Research: Also known as "Historical Method,"?-this approach gathers information from a wide range of historical records including but not limited to,?news stories, and memories gathered through interviews and biographies.

? Content Analysis: The contents of questionnaires and interviews are systematically analyzed. "Grounded theory” is an example of this type of research method.?Here mass media of all forms including books are analyzed. The goal here?is?to?explore how?people communicate and what they write and talk or about.

3.?????Experimental Research:?In this approach a researcher isolates a single social process or social phenomena,?heroic behavior for instance,?and uses the data to either confirm or construct a social theory. In an experimental research group participants referred to as "subjects," would be ?randomly assigned to a variety of conditions or 'treatments.' The patterns of behavior exhibited by the groups are analyzed and compared. The “treatments” are randomly assigned to

guarantee the researcher that the treatment is having the effect on group differences distinct from other extraneous factors.

4.?????Survey Research: Here, the ?researcher gathers ?information from questionnaires, interviews, or similar feedback from a group of person(s) chosen (including random selection) to represent a particular demographic Survey items from a questionnaire or an interview may be closed-ended or open-ended.?

5.??????Life History: This is the exploration the pathways (trajectories) that an individual’s life may enter. Through a series of interviews, the researcher can explore into the key moments in that individual’s life or the many influences on that life.

6.?????Longitudinal study: ?This is ?an ?extensive ?exploration of a specific person or group over an extended time period.

7.?????Observation: Gathering information from the senses, a researcher records information about a behavior or social phenomenon. These Observational techniques may include non-participant observation or participant observation. Information obtained through observational techniques

can be analyzed either quantitatively or qualitatively.

8.?????Participant Observation: This approach is similar to Observation. The difference is that here the researcher usually goes into a community (the field), lives with the residents for some time and participates in their community events in order to know and feel their specific culture.

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There are a number of reasons why there are so many different research methodologies. The primary reason is that some methods are more appropriate for different types of information than others. Another factor may reflect what is the case in most disciplines??Here even the experts will often divide into distinct camps,?each supporting a different research methodology.

?Why does this happen so often? Even the most rational, logical person will favor one theoretical idea over another. This is especially so when it comes to experts.

??In common sense game theory-based strategizing ?the more knowledge we have about ourselves and the community we choose to be part of,?the easier it is to make wise decisions. In addition, our life path will be directed towards freedom, love and self-actualization. Behavioral assessments are not a way to judge ourselves or others. They do, however, give us the tools we need to assess our environment and those we will need to interact with.

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To explore assessments in the context of this work please

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Basic Differential Assessment

In?medicine, a?differential diagnosis?is the distinguishing of a particular?disease or condition from others that present similar clinical features. ?Differential diagnostic procedures are often used by?physicians?and other trained medical professionals to?diagnose?the specific disease in a?patient, or, at least, to eliminate any imminently life-threatening conditions. Often each individual option of a possible disease is named a specific differential diagnosis. For example,?bronchitis could be a differential diagnosis in the evaluation of a cough that ends up with a final diagnosis of?common cold.

??More generally, a?differential diagnostic procedure?is a systematic?diagnostic method?used to identify the presence of a disease entity?where multiple alternatives are possible. This method is a?process of elimination?or at least a process of obtaining information that shrinks the "probabilities" of candidate conditions to negligible levels. This is done by using evidence such as symptoms, patient history, and medical knowledge to adjust?epistemic?confidences in the mind of the diagnostician (or, for computerized or computer-assisted diagnosis, the software of the system).

??As you can see what we call “problems” come in many shapes and forms and the model of differential diagnosis can be applied to making choices and solving problems. Often they arise as the natural next step after a previous problem has been solved. No matter what category a problem falls into or what the cause may be a problem can be defined by the level of difficulty it presents, the level of skill required to solve it, and the need for technology in defining and determining the solution.

??Based on these issues we can define a particular problem in one of three ways; as either being:

??1. Basic,

??2. Complex,

??3. Extreme.

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Intuitively speaking most basic problems can be solved through common sense, street smarts, simple arithmetic and intuition. Complex problems, on the other hand, are usually best understood and addressed through the use of experts, and professional problem solvers as well as through the application of results-oriented game based models.?????

??Examples of experts might include plumbers, electricians, librarians and brain surgeons.????????

??Extreme problems, which are discussed in much greater detail in later chapters of this book are best addressed through classic game theory collective intelligence models, non-linear meta-heuristic models, intuition and non-mechanistic mathematics based on the exploration of contradiction, paradox and ambiguity.

??A different approach to categorizing problems from what we have been discussing concerning complexity is what I call “The Source of the Problem Model”. Here a problem can be categorized by the factors that seem to be at the core of the problem. Virtually all problems, whether personal, in business or in organizations exist for one of four reasons or a combination of these four reasons;

??1. External factors beyond our control,

??2. Internally Based Factors,

??3. Lack of Skill,

??4. False Belief Based Models.

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These factors are extremely important to understand. All categories of problems come in many shapes and forms. Often they arise as the next step after a previous problem has been solved. It doesn’t matter what category a problem falls into or what the cause may be - we ultimately think of them in a similar way. We often define a problem by the level of difficulty it presents, the level of skill required to solve it, and the need for technology in isolating and applying a solution. Based on these issues we can define a particular problem as either being basic, complex, or extreme.

??At times finding solutions too many of these problems may require an individual to have an internal conversation that integrates the polemic and the defensive. I call this “Ruthless Introspection”.

?With ruthless introspection we can know whether a particular problem is basic, complex or extreme. At that point, an effective decision-making strategy can be explored and put into place.

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Exercise

? Make a list of the most obvious ?challenges, and obstacles you need to transcend. Now explore each one and write down whether the source of the challenge or obstacle is a result of external factors, internal factors, lack of skill or inaccurate beliefs. Use your?inner brilliance to break through the “wall”.

??A movie that explores strategic game based thinking in dealing with a dangerous adversary is The Lincoln Lawyer. This 2011 American legal thriller has many elements of game based thinking and game theory. It is well written and has a complex series of events that require skilled strategizing.

Lewis Harrison is a futurist, former talk show host on an NPR affiliated station, and is the author of over twenty books on game theory, decision making, and strategic thinking.