What is a Fact? The Dangers of Blindly Following Opinions.
blog #30
One of the most important goals as a cognitive behavioral psychologist is to teach people how to challenge their irrational beliefs. In the process of confronting psychological issues one must reset ways of thinking in order to support making behavioral changes. What you believe in guides and sets in motion how you live your life. Facts versus opinions!
One of the main foundations in learning to be a psychologist is to be solidly skilled in research and experimental design. Our techniques and tools that we employ are the result of valid and reliable procedures. It is upon this premise that distinguishes a fact from an opinion.
To be considered to be a fact one must fulfill these two concepts. A fact is a valid conclusion. It is what it is! When observing a fact there can be no other explanation to explain its occurrence. As an example, water is the result of the specific combination of two atoms, hydrogen and oxygen (H2O). No other combinations can result in making water. It is a fact.
Secondly a fact is the result of reliability. It is the predictability of being able to obtain the same conclusion even when measured from different types of observations. The earth is indeed round and can be observed from many different ways. The sun rises from the east and sets in the west. You can set your clock to this fact.
When changing a belief one needs to pose this question. Is what am I thinking based on a fact, fulfilling validity and reliability? Consider this example. I see a person of a different ethnic culture or color of skin approaching me. I believe they must certainly be a danger to me. It is a fact that what I see is a person with a face and torso. If 100 people are observing what I am seeing they would also agree that it is a person. They must certainly be dangerous is only an opinion. One must ask what is my factual evidence for this conclusion? Would the same 100 people who are observing this person all agree that the person presents a danger? Most likely not.
As another example consider this interaction. I asked a person for a date and they said no. I must be worthless and a failure because they did not want to go out with me. It is a fact that I asked them for a date. Our 100 observers would concur they saw me ask for a date and was told no. I am a failure and worthless because I was turned down is only my opinion. There is no evidence to support this conclusion. There can be many reason that I was turned away that has nothing to do with being a failure. Our 100 observers would come up with many possible alternative reasons.
One must be on guard to not make false conclusions based upon correlations. Two events occuring at the same time does not always means causation. Consider this example. Every drug abuser drinks water. Therefore water causes drug abuse. We can get so confused when we ignore validity and reliability, fact or opinion, when deciding what to believe and subsequent actions we take.
As put forth in my book “The Two Roads Of Life” I present a model for parenting that is analogous with governing a country. Parents govern the family as elected officials govern the country. Children are like citizens. A child develops their belief system based upon what their parents believe or say. A parent who lies and states opinions as if a fact distorts a child's ability to be objective when considering fact versus opinions. I often asked children or adults how they came to choose their religion or even their favorite sports team. In most cases they faithfully followed just what their parents told them was a fact without question. A child growing up in a home where parents expressed racial prejudice more often accepted what they were told without questioning the factual basis for their parents viewpoints. Over time many people grow up being taught to never ask for the facts and only to just believe what they are told.
In our country a former President recently promoted a “BIG LIE” regarding the presidential election he lost. His followers are so convinced that it must certainly be true. The election was stolen. They had been told this “BIG LIE” over and over for months prior to and after the election. Fact or opinion? It is not a valid conclusion. The vote tally supported a different conclusion. It has been reliably tested in so many recounts and court challenges. Each time the same outcome occurs. The fact is he did not win the presidential election.
Leaders like parents who constantly lie to their children/citizens, are responsible for misleading them and for their inappropriate behavior such as storming the capital, or shooting or attacking people because of their skin color or ethnic background. Just because someone is black it is wrong to conclude that they must be more dangerous than someone of white skin. Someone with an asian cultural background is not responsible for the Covid virus.
In therapy the challenge to overcome a learning set that is well ingrained by distorted beliefs of parents and civic leaders is not an easy task to accomplish. The path to reach true adult thinking is to learn to challenge our beliefs and strive to live on an Experience Road perspective. I reject the notion of failure and embrace a life based upon learning from every experience. Like a true adult that takes a child’s hand and helps them to face their irrational fears such as petting a dog, we need to reach into ourselves and draw strength to take our own hands to guide ourselves to ask for the facts. When we seek facts we can learn so much. Opinions can be very helpful in being creative but actions should be grounded in facts.
Children and citizens need to learn to be critical thinkers. Seek facts to find truth. It is time to retire the “BIG LIE” and promote the “BIG TRUTH”!
Dr. Michael Simon
Available online “ The Two Roads Of Life: Navigating Yourself and Family and to Health and Contentment.” Published by PathBinder Publishing
