NICK WRIGHT
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Counterintuitive

10/1/2017

36 Comments

 
A baptism of fire. I had just moved to the city. It was a new community development project. On a local housing estate, a gang of youths was harassing residents at night. This mostly involved stopping people at knife-point or setting fire to litter stacked against people’s house doors. Here was my mission…if I chose to accept it: to work at night, infiltrate the gang, stop what they were doing and convince them to do something more constructive with their lives. I was 21 years old, wore an earring, combat trousers, white trainers and black leather jacket. They thought I should fit in.

I worked alongside Dan, an experienced detached youth worker. We set out at 10pm each evening, wandered the streets and hoped to find the gang. I wondered what would happen when we did. The youth worker gave me two practical words of advice: ‘1. Always carry money and, 2. Always ensure we are outnumbered.’ I felt puzzled, laughed nervously and replied, ‘Surely you mean 1. Never carry money and, 2. Always ensure we outnumber them? Isn’t that a better way to stay safe?’ This was my first encounter with counterintuitive thinking in youth and community development work.

Dan elaborated: ‘If a gang tells you to hand over your money and you do, they are likely to leave you alone. If you say you have no money, they probably won’t believe you and may well attack you to rob you.’ I responded, ‘Oh – and outnumbered..?’ He replied, ‘If we outnumber them as we approach them, they may feel threatened and attack us. If they outnumber us, they are less likely to feel threatened and more likely to be curious.’ Later that night, we did find the gang huddled under a dim street light. Dan walked casually into their midst, lit a cigarette, smiled…and said, ‘Hi.’
​
DeBono calls this lateral thinking. It’s a way of approaching a person or situation that involves challenging default perceptions, instincts, logic, decisions and actions and trying out radical alternatives instead. It’s like the judo teacher who instructs, ‘If an aggressive person grabs you by the lapels and pulls you forward, walk towards them rather than instinctively pull back.’ Jesus modelled it to dramatic effect. It can feel mind-bending, universe-warping, paradigm-shifting. It can be hard to do. Yet it can also yield creative and innovative results.

​What have been your best counterintuitive moments, insights and ideas?
36 Comments
Adrian Spurrell
10/1/2017 08:56:11 pm

I've increasingly started to understand that my best course of action is to do the opposite of my first instinct!

Reply
Nick Wright
10/1/2017 08:57:11 pm

Hi Adrian. I'm curious. Was that response your first instinct or the opposite to it..? ;)

Reply
Adrian Spurrell
13/1/2017 08:48:25 pm

Neither it was a considered response. A brief consideration I'll grant you :)

Nick Wright
13/1/2017 08:49:07 pm

:)

Andy Scantland
10/1/2017 11:10:10 pm

I like the idea to try moving counter-intuitively as a way to create new paths. the article made me curious- were you able to move the gang to more constructive activity?

Reply
Nick Wright
10/1/2017 11:13:08 pm

Thanks Andy. That's a good way of expressing it. 'What happened next' with the gang would be a whole new blog! It was a steep learning curve for me in terms of seeing and understanding the influence of systems of people and communities, e.g. the impact of related interventions by police, social services, housing officials etc.

Reply
Ian Brownlee
11/1/2017 09:03:52 pm

It appears that what you are talking about is known as “Cognitive Dissonance” which focuses on how we strive for internal consistency. Someone who experiences inconsistency tends to become psychologically uncomfortable, and tries to reduce this dissonance, as well as actively avoid situations and information likely to increase it. I have seen police using CD when dealing with, for example, family disputes: One time two officers walked into a house where a very angry man was threating all kinds of mayhem. The senior office immediately said that he smelt gas and that they should all get out ASAP. The man immediately calmed down and headed out the door with the rest of the family. Problem solved!
Two of many sources are:
Festinger, Leon. (1957). A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance. California: Stanford University Press
Festinger, Leon. (1962). "Cognitive dissonance". Scientific American. 207 (4): 93–107. doi:10.1038/scientificamerican 1062-93

Reply
Nick Wright
11/1/2017 09:06:38 pm

Hi Ian. I think we can experience cognitive dissonance when we encounter counterintuition. It can feel confusing and disorientating. Thanks for the great example of lateral thinking by the police!

Reply
Sarah Clark
12/1/2017 08:56:49 am

Great article nick, when I work with gang members in my criminal justice role I take time to earn their trust and if they tell me they won't look at me I wait a few sessions and then they are not only looking at me but telling me what they had for breakfast and working on setting goals. So going with your gut instinct, using your soft skills and having trust that humanity and humility will win out.

Reply
Nick Wright
12/1/2017 08:57:41 am

Thanks Sarah. It sounds like you handle your work skilfully and sensitively.

Reply
Karen Fugle
12/1/2017 12:29:06 pm

Reminds of a time in my youth when I was crossing a section of road next to a busy roundabout. To take a shortcut I was walking on the edge of an island - just wide enough for one person. All of a sudden this man came running, screaming, with his hands out towards me, straight at me, from the other end of the island. I couldn't move left into the bushes and I couldn't move right onto the busy road so I froze - he looked like a nutter and I thought he would plow me over. I loudly said "Hello!" smiling like I knew him. It stopped him and the screaming in his tracks. His turn to freeze! He ended up hugging me. I was stuck there for about 15min, listening to him talk about ending his life. I find it interesting how I processed my options and came up with that solution in what seemed like one second. Thank heavens.

Reply
Nick Wright
12/1/2017 12:32:30 pm

Hi Karen. Thanks for sharing such a dramatic account from personal experience. You reminded me of when I once saw a man attacking another, beating him badly. I instinctively ran across to the attacker, rather than the attacked, to ask with empathy if he was OK. I was surprised that I did that, but not as surprised as the attacker! He looked at me, confused, and walked away. The other man thanked me for saving his life.

Reply
Karen Fugle
12/1/2017 09:47:53 pm

Well, that is surprising! I'll definitely keep that approach up my sleeve. It seems these stories are perfect examples of 'conversational intelligence' (I'm reading the book). Instead of treating the attackers like enemies, we both showed caring for someone. As a result, their brain chemistry made a shift, they become calmer and began to think in a more constructive way.

Nick Wright
12/1/2017 09:50:46 pm

Hi Karen. I think there's also something about unexpectedly acting in what appears to be the opposite to what we might expect or do normally that can jolt us or others out of what they are thinking or doing.

Jan Moore
12/1/2017 03:45:27 pm

What a great concept. Your article and the brilliant comments have really made me think about how i can use this in my coaching practice.

Reply
Nick Wright
12/1/2017 03:46:04 pm

Many thanks, Jan. I would love to hear how you use it!

Reply
Noelia Fernandez
13/1/2017 10:27:42 am

This is a great article Nick.

Reply
Nick Wright
13/1/2017 10:28:09 am

Thanks Noelia. :)

Reply
Robert Martinez
13/1/2017 02:03:26 pm

Looking at things in novel ways generates interesting solutions. Enjoyed the article.

Reply
Nick Wright
13/1/2017 02:04:05 pm

I agree, Robert. Thank you.

Reply
Amanda Cookson
13/1/2017 11:52:02 pm

I would love to know more & what happened next.

Reply
Nick Wright
13/1/2017 11:52:37 pm

Thanks Amanda. It's a long story..!

Reply
Martine Dinh
14/1/2017 09:25:04 am

Great story and reminder thank you for sharing. "We always have a choice" and "let people do more of what they're good at and they will improve on their weaker points" have been my most counterintuitive realisations so far...

Reply
Nick Wright
14/1/2017 09:27:53 am

Thanks Martine. One of my recent counterintuitive insights is that, 'In order to cover more ground in coaching, make less time available for it.'

Reply
Nick Wright
20/1/2017 09:41:19 am

Nick, that's an interesting one! I hope we'll get to read more in one of your next posts... And I agree that sometimes constraints support us doing a better job than luxury of time, funds, expert support....

Nick Wright
20/1/2017 09:41:43 am

Thanks Martine! :)

Patricia Blackman
15/1/2017 03:48:03 pm

I no longer use training books... why? Because students do not read books, they simply become dust collectors. I trained using actual files, and students take notes and do teach backs, they become responsible for their learning, and it works very well. No one every falls asleep in my class!

Reply
Nick Wright
15/1/2017 03:49:12 pm

Hi Patricia. I'm curious. Does that mean you engage learners in teaching the group?

Reply
Patricia Blackman
26/1/2017 10:49:43 am

Absolutely! I teach in 1/2 days, students take notes, ask questions, the second half day, they do teachbacks on exercises I have prepared for them.

Nick Wright
26/1/2017 10:50:43 am

Thanks Patricia. A great way to consolidate and advance learning!

Sonia Bhattacharyya
16/1/2017 08:49:07 am

Interesting read. Isn't it counterintuition that is used the the 'nudge' method of influencing people?

Reply
Nick Wright
16/1/2017 08:49:45 am

Thanks Sonia. I don't know...but I can imagine how it could be.

Reply
Ilze Jansone (Kelers)
18/1/2017 10:46:58 am

There is also a "them-us" assumption which is challenged by your example (and by Jesus as well).

Reply
Nick Wright
18/1/2017 10:49:56 am

Hi Ilze. I am intrigued. Can you say more? You may relate to this short piece too? http://www.nick-wright.com/blog/i-am-them

Reply
Ilze Jansone (Kelers)
19/1/2017 12:49:40 pm

Thank you for sharing. Yes, I think you're right - they're actually versions of the same story. It brings to mind 1 Jn 4,18

Nick Wright
19/1/2017 12:51:09 pm

Thanks Ilze. 1 John 4:18 is a good spiritual insight to reflect on.




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    ​Nick Wright

    ​I'm a psychological coach, trainer and OD consultant. Curious to discover how can I help you? ​Get in touch!

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