How fear draws us to status quo despite our desire for growth
Dr Amy Silver MAPS ClinPsyD MA MPhil BSc(Hons)
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Fear blocks us from growth by sending us uncomfortable thoughts and feelings. When we are faced with a decision about our unknown future, we look to our past for the security of the known. The known is easier for our fear voice to handle, even when not preferable. That is how the pull to the status quo sadly overrides our desire for growth.
This happens individually for us as we strive towards a better something, and it happens collectively for us in an even more dramatic way. When we are in a group (or a team, organisation or society) not only does our own 'known' pull us back to status quo, but we are also seeking fear cues from others on their thinking and feeling about the past and their worries about the unknown future. These are the fears that pull us towards groupthink. Fear-based decisions are likely to happen in collectives, dragging us away from the possible and taking us straight back to the status quo.
If you have your attention on leading a group of people towards a better something, high performance or safety for example, we need to learn how to manage our fear, individually and collectively.
Otherwise, expect the status quo to be the silent destructive enemy disappointingly undermining all our efforts.
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1 年Seems particularly poignant reflection this week, as collectively as a nation we stuck with the status quo