The confidence of the ignorant
Dr. Alaa Jarrad
Garad@alaagarad.com
November 11, 2022
Perhaps many of us have suffered, and perhaps the whole world has suffered as people who are incompetent and consider themselves the most intelligent on earth. The problem is when these people can actually reach high-level positions, whether in administration or politics, and this reinforces their strong conviction and firm belief that they are the highest performing, intelligent and wise. Unqualified people realize how unqualified they are, tend to exaggerate their qualifications, and are unable to see and understand the qualities of truly qualified people.
This is not just an opinion, but a social and psychological phenomenon that has been studied by psychologists "David Dunning" and "Justin Krueger", and he called it "the Dunning-Kruger effect".
During that study, the researchers surveyed university students about their performance in some exams, and compared the students’ responses about their performance in the exam compared to the scores they got. The students who were confident of themselves and reported that they answered excellently were the lowest in the marks. The researchers also asked soldiers in the shooting range about their knowledge of weapons and ways to maintain them and their familiarity with them. They found that many of those who showed a lot of knowledge and showed high experience were the least in shooting. the correct.
In fact, throughout history, this phenomenon has been known and has been talked about by Confucius, Socrates, and Charles Darwin, who said: Ignorance often generates confidence more than knowledge does.
Al-Mutanabbi also said: He who has reason suffers in bliss with his intellect, and the brother of ignorance is blessed with misery.
People of knowledge are always distinguished by humility and the realization that they have not explored the depths of science, and those who excel and are serious in their knowledge do not have time to talk or talk about their skills and abilities to achieve, because they are busy with achievement. » Loud sound and emptiness inside.
The real addition provided by the psychologists Dunning and Krueger may be the definition of that theory and giving it a name, and I do not think that there is a cure for that scourge or disease, but at least knowing these people may reduce the negative energy in dealing with them, or away from them if possible.
As for the work framework, the best solution is to establish a performance evaluation and management system that depends on specific tasks and outputs that can be measured, so that no one needs to talk about himself or fill in the lack of performance with talk and fanfare. Sophistry or sent speech.
On the social level, I do not know a way to deal with these people other than to reduce contact with them and stay away from arguing with them. I do not think that the personality will change, especially when it comes to exaggerating self-esteem, and perhaps they will one day learn the hard way to know the true extent of their abilities.
The next article, God willing, will deal with a phenomenon in contrast to that phenomenon.
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Garad@alaagarad.com
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Garad@alaagarad.com