Define Bias - Bias Meaning

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Career Counseling July 22, 2020

How to Recognize Unconscious Bias and Break Out

Define Bias - Bias Meaning

Merriam-Webster: an inclination of temperament or outlook.
Dictionary.com: a particular tendency, trend, inclination, feeling, or opinion, especially one that is preconceived or unreasoned.
Collins Dictionary: is a tendency to prefer one person or thing to another, and to favor that person or thing.

How to Recognize Unconscious Bias and Break Out

Biases, conscious or unconscious, seem to be what many people are talkimg about these days. Biases include both favorable and unfavorable ideas, knowledge, and assumptions that affect the way we engage with the world. They are the things that your subconscious “knows” that you don’t even realize are informing your decision-making process. Every person on the planet holds unconscious biases that affect their behavior, preferences, and even their treatment of others. Most don’t even realize it.
 
If you want to break out of your comfort zone, you’ll need to recognize, accept, and study potential unconscious biases because they could be causing you to make incorrect decisions.

Step #1: Accept That Everyone Has Biases

We are a product of our birth, upbringing, and experiences. While human nature is very similar across all cultures in many ways, in other ways, we are very different because our ideas, knowledge and assumptions are not always clear.
 
This is most noticeable when it comes to classism, racism, and even sexism. Even though it’s a volatile topic, it is helpful to shine the light on these types of biases because they are so obvious. For example, we all know that the statement, “Men are stronger than women” is not true. Just like we know that the statement, “Women are better parents than men,” is not true.
 
Even if, in your experience, the men you’ve encountered are stronger than the women you’ve met, and all the women you’ve known were the primary parents, doesn’t mean that it’s true in all cases. You must accept that you have this bias based on your experience and that while it may be true, it may also not be true.

Step #2: Learn About Human Nature and People

The more you engage with a diverse group of individuals, the more likely you are to be exposed to other legitimate ideas than your own or those that have formed among your your network. Look around you and try to meet and expose yourself to people outside your group by joining book clubs, taking a course, or learning a new language. Whatever you can do to learn more about human nature and people such as traveling for example, will help you expose your own biases and solidify their existence.
 
When you learn about other cultures and the ideas other people have outside of your own race, religion, and sex, you’ll uncover many cultural stereotypes that you have about them and that they have about you. Being open to learning about these ideas can really help open your mind and your world. It also does wonders for your career. Many jobs require knowledge of other cultures. As you  continue to learn about and from other cultures, let them learn from you too by being open about your own assumptions and biases. They will appreciate it and you’ll really change your and their worldview.
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Step #3: Focus on Yourself

​While you are learning about other people, places, and things, it’s important that you explore your inner thoughts and ideas. Recognize that you only control one person and that’s you. You control your thoughts and your behavior, and you can only improve all of that by learning more to overcome your biases so that you can push through your comfort zone.

The more you focus on yourself, your own thoughts, and behaviors, the more you realize how your behavior and actions affect other people, places, and things. This is an amazing power because once you realize the power, you do have to affect change and make an impact by overcoming these unconscious biases you’ll really and truly break through your comfort zone.

Mandy Fard - CPRW, CMRW

About the author

Mandy Fard is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW, CMRW) and Recruiter with decades of experience in assisting job seekers, working directly with employers in multiple industries, and writing proven-effective resumes.

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