In times of crises—whether personal or societal—we as humans tend to avoid information in order to protect our self-beliefs and identity, consciously or subconsciously. Ernest Becker argues that this psychological strategy of active aversion to possessing knowledge is essential for human survival. In psychology, this phenomenon is commonly referred to as “motivated ignorance”, which describes “a form of ignorance that is driven not by the costs of acquiring knowledge but by an active aversion to possessing it”. The world continues to face various forms of crises on national, regional, and global scales. The phenomenon of motivated ignorance actively influences the political participation of countries’ populations. Such tendencies of human psychology are actively exploited by authoritarian regimes worldwide in order to strengthen their own power and limit the abilities of any oppositional voice.
The goal of avoiding information through the concept of motivated ignorance is our way of achieving a “manageable world”. Most people will spare themselves the trouble of dealing with eternal problems such as life or death by keeping their minds on the smaller issues of their lives. I would argue therefore that
most people will unconsciously avoid engaging with national and global issues in order to protect their “manageable world”, instead focusing on personal problems where they feel they have “more control” and “less ambiguity”.
Recent years have shown a growing tendency of anti-democratic developments in various countries, igniting major dissatisfaction in their respective citizens. Studies have found that the main reasons for protests around the globe concern the failure of political representation and political systems, economic justice and anti-austerity, civil rights, and global justice. Despite the high number of protests, a large amount of the population does not engage in them. Surveys conducted by the Pew Research Center have shown that, aside from voting, relatively few people take part in other forms of political and civic participation. Non-participants justify their lack of participation in deliberative mini-publics (citizen discussion forums). These justifications included claims such as: people “do not know enough to participate”, are “too busy”, “dislike conflict” or believe that participation “will not lead to a binding decision”.
This is where the psychological explanation for such decision-making comes in. Psychology identifies two systems within each individual: System 1 and System 2. System 1 is automatic, unconscious decision-making that requires little to no effort, whereas System 2 is effortful decision-making that demands attention. Cognitive ease, a feeling that things are going well, is a System 1 signal. Since doubt and ambiguity require maintaining incompatible interpretations simultaneously and therefore demand mental effort, System 1 automatically neglects and suppresses them, favouring cognitive ease. Furthermore, when statistical studies or factual evidence challenge deeply held, basic assumptions—thereby creating ambiguity and doubt—these facts are “simply not absorbed”.
Our tendency to avoid accessible information is encouraged by our impulse to avoid undesirable actions. We tend to neglect knowledge that would compel us to take an action and in consequence alter our status quo. In regards to participation in discussions and activism related to national or global issues, most people prefer to stay at home, refrain from protests or activism, and choose to exist within a bubble of limited knowledge, thereby protecting their established way of living. Furthermore, acquiring knowledge that requires the engagement of System 2 in order to fully comprehend it would also entail having to confront the accountability related to one’s previous inaction.
This aspect of human psychology, avoiding information through motivated ignorance, can be and is easily exploited by authoritarian regimes worldwide. Such regimes often openly target research centres, think tanks, independent media outlets, and education centres in order to control the knowledge accessible to their citizens. One of the main excuses that individuals employ when justifying their avoidance of accessible information is questioning the reliability of a source. Hence, the strategy of authoritarian regimes to depict valid sources as “untrustworthy” contributes towards this psychological justification for avoiding information. Furthermore, studies show a strong link between education and political participation. The systematic targeting of such institutions decreases the overall education accessible to citizens. Individuals with higher education are more likely to post their views online, donate money to a political or social organisation, and participate in political protests. Authoritarian regimes tend to repeat misinformation through their own trusted media outlets, which is a strategy for making people believe in falsehoods.
Our psychological tendency to protect our long-held beliefs is subconsciously incentivising us to avoid any accessible information that might jeopardise our current state of being. Because of each individual’s goal of survival and self-protection, we tend to utilise different methods to ignore or neglect such knowledge, regardless of the quality of the data.
This phenomenon of motivated ignorance is often strategically exploited by authoritarian regimes, which present any oppositional view or perspective as untrustworthy, thereby reinforcing our psychological justifications for avoidance. All of us exhibit some degree of motivated ignorance in relation to one issue or another. Therefore, it is important to be aware of this tendency, to acknowledge our shortcomings, and avoid contributing to the exacerbation of existing problems.
Written by Mariami Gavashelishvili, Edited by Esther Linton-Kubelka
Photo Credit: Anoof Junaid (uploaded May 13, 2020) on Unsplash.
