#30 Déformation Professionnelle Unveiled: How Your Professional Perspective Could Be Holding You Back
Déformation Professionnelle is a cognitive bias where individuals tend to view the world and interpret information through the lens of their professional expertise or training. You are about to see who is most susceptible to it, how to avoid becoming a victim, and learn how benefit from it.
In this series, we're exploring 200 cognitive errors and biases
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- What is the Difference Between Cognitive Errors, Cognitive Biases, and Cognitive Dissonance?
- Déformation Professionnelle (30 of 200) ?| What it is | Examples | Ways it can be harmful | Who is most susceptible to it | How you can avoid its harmful effects | How you can be a 'hero' and use it to benefit family, friends, and coworkers | A poem to help you remember
- Discover More -- Helpful Books on Cognitive Bias, Cognitive Errors, and Cognitive Dissonance (and how to put key concepts into practice before reading them)
BONUS: How to Grow Your Professional Network by One
What is the Difference Between Cognitive Errors, Cognitive Bias, and Cognitive Dissonance?
In a nutshell, cognitive errors refer to mistakes in our thought processes, cognitive biases involve deviations from rational thinking, and cognitive dissonance describes the discomfort we feel when we experience conflicting beliefs, attitudes, or values. Each concept highlights different aspects of human cognition and decision-making.
The Déformation Professionnelle (30 of 200)
Six (6) Things You Need To Know, Illustrated with Practical Examples
What is the Déformation Professionnelle bias?
Déformation professionnelle is a French term that translates to "professional deformation" or "professional bias." It refers to a cognitive bias that occurs when individuals, due to their professional expertise or training, develop a narrow perspective and tend to interpret the world based on their specific professional lens, often disregarding or undervaluing other perspectives or information that doesn't align with their professional knowledge or experience.
Déformation professionnelle is not always negative, as it can also enhance expertise and provide valuable insights within one's professional domain. However, it can become a bias when it leads to a narrow and rigid perspective
EXAMPLES
Five examples of the Déformation Professionnelle bias
1. Medical Déformation Professionnelle
A doctor, due to their medical expertise, may be inclined to attribute all symptoms presented by a patient to medical diagnoses, without considering other possible explanations such as psychological or lifestyle factors.
2. Legal Déformation Professionnelle
A lawyer may have a tendency to interpret all situations, even those outside of a legal context, through a legal lens, and may see potential legal issues where others may not.
3. Engineering Déformation Professionnelle
An engineer, due to their technical expertise, may tend to approach all problems with a focus on technical solutions, disregarding other non-technical aspects that may be relevant, such as social or environmental considerations.
4. Financial Déformation Professionnelle
A financial analyst may have a bias towards evaluating all decisions based solely on financial metrics, without fully considering other important factors such as ethical, social, or long-term sustainability considerations.
5. Academic Déformation Professionnelle
A researcher, due to their academic expertise, may have a tendency to ignore or dismiss conflicting evidence or perspectives that challenge the established theories or paradigms of their field of study, leading to a biased interpretation of research findings.
HARMFUL
Five ways the Déformation Professionnelle bias be harmful
1. Narrow Decision-Making
Déformation Professionnelle can lead to a narrow focus on one's professional expertise, resulting in limited consideration of alternative perspectives or solutions that fall outside of that expertise. This can lead to incomplete or biased decision-making, overlooking important factors or potential solutions.
2. Missed Opportunities
Déformation Professionnelle may cause individuals to overlook valuable insights from other fields or perspectives that could be relevant to a situation. This can result in missed opportunities for innovation, creativity, or problem-solving, as valuable input from diverse sources may be dismissed or undervalued.
3. Lack of Flexibility
Déformation Professionnelle can result in rigid adherence to professional dogma or established practices, limiting flexibility and adaptability to changing circumstances or evolving information. This can hinder the ability to respond effectively to new challenges or developments.
4. Bias and Prejudice
Déformation Professionnelle may lead to unconscious bias towards one's own professional perspective, resulting in a lack of objectivity and potential prejudice towards other perspectives or information that doesn't align with one's expertise. This can lead to biased judgments or decisions based on professional bias rather than a fair and balanced assessment of all relevant factors.
5. Negative Impact on Collaboration
Déformation Professionnelle can hinder effective collaboration with professionals from other fields or disciplines, as individuals may struggle to understand or appreciate perspectives or approaches that differ from their own. This can limit interdisciplinary collaboration
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SUSCEPTIBLE
Five characteristics of people most susceptible to the Déformation Professionnelle bias?
1. Deep Specialization
Those who have deep and specific expertise in a particular field may become so entrenched in their professional perspective that they unconsciously apply it to unrelated situations, leading to this bias.
2. Lack of Interdisciplinary Exposure
Individuals who lack exposure to or understanding of disciplines outside their own field may find it difficult to see issues from other perspectives, making them prone to Déformation Professionnelle.
3. Rigidity in Thinking
A rigid or dogmatic approach to problem-solving and decision-making may make someone more inclined to fall into this bias. An unwillingness to consider alternative viewpoints or solutions can exacerbate the issue.
4. High Confidence in Professional Judgement
An overreliance on or an inflated sense of confidence in one's professional judgment
5. Isolation from Diverse Perspectives
Working in an environment that lacks diversity of thought or disciplines can create an echo chamber, reinforcing one's own professional biases and making it more difficult to recognize and consider alternative viewpoints.
AVOID
Five ways to avoid becoming a victim of the Déformation Professionnelle bias
1. Seek Diverse Perspectives
Actively seek out diverse perspectives by engaging with individuals from different professions, industries, and fields of expertise. This can help broaden your understanding and prevent narrow-mindedness that may come from being too immersed in your own professional perspective.
2. Practice Active Listening
When engaging in conversations with others, practice active listening by fully focusing on the speaker, without making assumptions or jumping to conclusions based on your professional bias. Allow the speaker to express their ideas and opinions fully without imposing your professional perspective on them.
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3. Embrace a Growth Mindset
Embrace a growth mindset by being open to learning and evolving in your professional views. Recognize that your professional perspective may not always be comprehensive or infallible, and be willing to challenge and update your beliefs and assumptions as you gain new insights and information.
4. Engage in Self-Reflection
Engage in regular self-reflection by examining your professional biases and questioning them. Reflect on how your professional background may influence your perceptions, judgments, and decision-making, and actively seek to identify and mitigate any biases that may arise from your professional perspective.
5. Seek Feedback
Actively seek feedback
Remember, avoiding 'Déformation Professionnelle' bias requires a conscious effort to recognize and challenge your professional perspective, and actively seek out diverse perspectives to ensure well-rounded decision-making.
BENEFIT
Five ways you use the Déformation Professionnelle bias to benefit family, friends, and coworkers (and yourself)
While Déformation Professionnelle bias often leads to a narrow focus on one's professional expertise, it can be used effectively and responsibly to benefit family, friends, and coworkers in some contexts. Here's how:
1. Provide Expert Insight
Leverage your specialized knowledge and skills to assist family, friends, and coworkers with specific challenges that fall within your expertise, while maintaining an awareness of potential biases and considering other perspectives as needed.
2. Enhance Problem-Solving
Utilize your professional skills and methods to analyze and solve problems in various contexts, such as helping a friend with a business challenge or assisting a family member with a technical issue, ensuring that your approach is relevant to the situation.
3. Educate and Inform
Educate others about your field to broaden their understanding, enrich their knowledge, and help them make informed choices. For example, a medical professional might educate family members about health-related topics or preventative measures.
4. Improve Collaboration
Act as a bridge between different professional backgrounds by using your expertise to foster interdisciplinary collaboration in the workplace, promoting a holistic approach and contributing unique insights that might otherwise be overlooked.
5. Facilitate Decision Making
Contribute your professional perspective to make well-informed decisions, either in personal or professional contexts, by providing specialized insights or evaluating options based on your expertise, while remaining open to other viewpoints and recognizing potential limitations.
Remember to always use the Déformation Professionnelle bias ethically and responsibly.
A POEM TO HELP YOU REMEMBER
Déformation Professionnelle, what a tongue-twister it may be,
It's a bias at work that's important to see.
When our job shapes our view of the world,
It can limit our perspective, so we must be unfurled.
To avoid this bias, we must be aware,
Open-minded and willing to share.
Seek diverse perspectives, embrace the new,
Challenge our assumptions, it's what we must do.
Stay curious and open, always inquisitive,
Question our biases, it's truly transformative.
So remember Déformation Professionnelle, keep it in mind,
Be mindful at work, and a broader perspective you'll find.
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WE’RE COVERING 200 COGNITIVE BIASES!
Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn to get notified when I publish the next one.
NEXT WEEK:?#31 The Groupthink Bias
Page to the bottom to see all the biases we've coved so far!
3. DISCOVER MORE
Below are some books I've found helpful in my 'Cognitive Clean-Up' journey.
Check out Idea Express to discover three (3) book derived concepts you can start using today (before reading a book).
BONUS: How to Grow Your Professional Network by One
Feel Free to Connect with me on LinkedIn!
ALL COGNITIVE BIASES COVERED (SO FAR)