From “Wired to Lead: Being the Leader the Church Didn’t Think You Could Be” by Suzanne Nadell
On the website Simply Psychology, writer Charlotte Ruhl explains that the term “implicit bias,” or unconscious bias, was first coined in 1995 by psychologists Mahzarin Banaji and Anthony Greenwald, who argues that social behavior is largely influenced by unconscious associations and judgments.
Ruhl breaks down this concept into simple explanations she calls “Take Home Messages” for us to understand and manage biases. Implicit biases are unconscious attitudes and stereotypes that can manifest anywhere, but perhaps most harmfully in the criminal justice system, workplace, school setting, and the health care system.
- Implicit bias is also known as unconscious bias or implicit social cognition.
- There are many different examples of implicit biases, ranging from categories of race, gender, and sexuality.
- These biases often arise as a result of trying to find patterns and navigate the overwhelming stimuli in this very complicated world. Culture, media, and upbringing can also contribute to the development of such biases.
- Removing these biases is a challenge especially because we often don’t even know they exist, but research suggests hope that levels of implicit biases in the United States are decreasing.
I appreciate Ruhl’s last takeaway. She uses the word “intervention” to describe what might be leading to decreasing levels of biases. Thanks to her, I now understand past conversations with church leaders, coworkers, and friends as interventions in my life. Each of these people was brave enough to call out my actions and demand that I reflect on why I did what I did or believed what I believed.
Recognizing my unconscious biases only happened when I was able to examine my thoughts and actions candidly by opening myself to conversations with people who pushed me to understand how my thoughts – conscious and unconscious – affect my words, decisions, and actions. And now that I know better, it’s up to me to do better.