Why Adults Often Reject New Knowledge

Contents:

• Boundaries

The book "Personality and Group Dynamics" explores how a person perceives and makes sense of reality, forms categories and sets boundaries to explain the world around him. These aspects significantly affect the dynamics of relationships in groups and organizations. The book was published in 2023 by Alpina Publisher. The author of the book is Lionel Stapley, Ph.D., a member of the International Society for the Psychoanalytic Study of Organizations and a consultant in group dynamics. His work offers a deep understanding of the mechanisms of interaction in social groups, making the book a valuable resource for professionals in the fields of psychology, management, and sociology.

The author raises important topics such as the human capacity for lifelong learning and the barriers that prevent us from accepting new things. These barriers can arise when new information contradicts our existing beliefs about the world. In this section of the book, we will take a closer look at how these limitations affect our perception and assimilation of knowledge, as well as how overcoming these barriers can contribute to personal and professional development.

Boundaries

As we perceive the world, we are faced with the need to classify and organize it. Without a system for extracting meaning from a multitude of experiences, the uniqueness of each moment would be difficult to perceive. By categorizing objects and phenomena, we make a complex and diverse world more accessible to understanding. However, objects do not come to us already divided into categories; we create them. By using symbols to separate one class of objects or actions from another, we establish artificial boundaries in an initially unified space. Although these boundaries have no physical characteristics, our perception makes them tangible and real. Classification is an important tool that helps us navigate the world and simplifies the process of understanding the reality around us.

A classic example of the formation of artificial boundaries in the perception of human behavior can be illustrated by the example of work interactions. Consider a situation: we are meeting with a manager whom we know quite well, while the other participants in the meeting are only superficially familiar with him. After the meeting, they may express an opinion: “Your boss is a bit of a tyrant, isn’t he?” To which we reply: “No, he’s a good person if you get to know him better, he’s just not in the best mood today.” From our perspective, his behavior at the meeting is part of a broader context. For newcomers, however, their only experience with the manager is limited to that meeting. As a result, they create an artificial boundary, forming an image of "somewhat of a tyrant." This demonstrates how perceptions can change depending on the context of the interaction and the level of familiarity with the person. Understanding these mechanisms is important for developing a more objective view of the behavior of others.

An example is an employee who, at a certain point, begins to reluctantly agree with decisions made by management without prior discussion. Previously considered a valuable team member, she begins to be perceived as a "troubled individual" by her boss, who, in an attempt to resolve a difficult situation, begins to view her as a "troubled individual." This isolates her from the rest of the team, whom he considers cooperative. Importantly, she may have the knowledge and experience to identify flaws in management's decisions. The problem is that once this artificial boundary is established, her boss is likely to stop taking her opinion into account. This underscores the importance of open dialogue between management and employees for effective problem-solving and achieving shared goals. There are three main types of boundaries: spatial, temporal, and psychological. Spatial boundaries are formed around a specific territory. Examples of artificial spatial boundaries include boundaries between neighboring properties and state borders. Temporal boundaries, in turn, are manifested in the division of time into hours, minutes, and other units. Social time can also be considered a temporal boundary, as it divides life stages and transitions between different social statuses into specific periods. All of these examples illustrate the concept of artificial boundaries. The process of categorization is part of our experience in a society that adheres to certain norms and structures. Living without boundaries may be difficult for us to adapt to, but it is important to note that this does not diminish the artificiality of these boundaries.

I will not delve into the topic of spatial and temporal boundaries, but it is important to note that thinking about them helps us better understand the process of meaning creation. Boundaries play a key role in ensuring our comfort and well-being. Therefore, the concept of boundaries is especially relevant when discussing psychological boundaries. Psychological boundaries help us establish healthy relationships, protect personal space, and maintain emotional balance. Understanding these boundaries contributes to a better quality of life and interactions with others.

When we ask ourselves, "Who am I?", we are in the process of self-discovery and self-definition. At this point, we establish a mental boundary within our experience, separating what we perceive as "me" from everything else, which we call "not me." This sense of self is formed on the basis of our perceptions, emotions, and thoughts. Thus, our understanding of ourselves is directly dependent on how we define this boundary. Understanding our identity and self becomes an important aspect of personal growth and shaping our place in the world. We understand our "self" through the distinction between "this" and "that," creating a boundary that defines our personal identity. For example, our views on animal cruelty may be very clear, allowing us to draw a clear line between ourselves and those who harm animals. We may consider ourselves devoted adherents of psychology, convinced that the study of human nature is the foundation of science. Thus, our concept of "self" is formed, with everything we perceive as "ourselves" falling within this boundary, and everything we don't perceive as outside it. This creates a psychological boundary between "me" and "not me." As a result, we begin to evaluate people who are not part of us based on their beliefs and actions. We draw conclusions about others based on their membership in or exclusion from certain groups. For example, we might consider people from the field of psychology to be part of our boundary, while sociologists with a background in psychoanalysis and a social psychology perspective would fall outside it. This dynamic helps us understand how social identities are formed and how they influence our perceptions of others.

Psychological boundaries play a key role in the dynamics of group interactions. They define who belongs in the group and who does not, moving from the concepts of "me" and "not me" to the broader categories of "us" and "them". These boundaries help group members distinguish between external boundaries that separate community members from outsiders and internal boundaries, where scapegoating often occurs. The formation of internal psychological boundaries influences the acceptance or rejection of individual members, which in turn can significantly affect the overall climate of the group. Understanding these aspects can help create more harmonious and productive relationships within the group. Defining and understanding boundaries is an important task, as they help us give meaning to our experience. This experience lies at the intersection of two worlds: external interaction and internal interpretation. Awareness arises precisely at this point of contact. However, awareness can be ambiguous. Often, our internal set of knowledge does not coincide with the external impressions we receive. This ambiguity, arising at the boundary between knowledge and perception, can cause anxiety. In such cases, boundaries become especially important. We tend to emphasize the differences between the inner and outer worlds, which can lead to a sense of the value of boundaries—they become either sacred or taboo. The intersection of personal boundaries and social systems forms unique relationships that both separate and connect. Understanding these boundaries helps us better navigate the complex structure of interactions and strengthens our identity. When we face a conflict between the inner and outer worlds, we often need to protect our boundaries. The formation of psychological boundaries provides a sense of comfort and well-being. When these boundaries are threatened, we experience a strong desire to preserve ourselves, as if the threat affects our very existence. In such situations, the interaction between the "me" and the "not me" becomes a source of significant irritation. Understanding and respecting your own boundaries plays a key role in maintaining peace of mind and creating healthy relationships with the world around you.

The problem with boundaries is that they can become rigid, structural concepts that block learning. For example, when a leader attempts to implement change in an organization and encounters persistent employee resistance, they initially strive to explain the need for the innovation and convince the team to accept it. However, if this fails, they may begin to worry about achieving their goals. At this point, the leader may insist on their position, which leads to conflict and deterioration in interaction with the team. As a result, the boundary becomes fixed, and the opportunity for mutual learning and collaboration disappears. It is important to recognize that flexibility in approach and openness to dialogue can contribute to successful adaptation to change and the creation of a constructive atmosphere in the team.

The concept of boundaries formed around the personality system is relevant for most people. This also applies to reality testing—the ability to distinguish between internal sensations and external objects, as well as between external interactions and internal interpretations. Correctly functioning boundaries are essential for adequate perception and effective analysis of incoming information, based on logical thinking. When adequate perception becomes impossible, personal boundaries are violated, and thinking begins to rely on fantasies. For example, in the dark, tree trunks can be perceived as threatening silhouettes. Maintaining healthy boundaries and the ability to adequately perceive the surrounding world play a key role in psychological well-being and personal development.

From a personal boundary perspective, regression represents a movement toward violation of these boundaries, while development promotes their restoration and strengthening. In this context, it can be said that the manager in question has reached a critical point. He has lost clarity of his boundaries, and a realistic approach to reality has disappeared from his thinking. As a result, he has become incapable of perceiving the opinions and views of others. At this stage, his emotional state and fantasies begin to dominate, leading to a distortion of the perceptions of employees. The leader begins to perceive them as a stubborn and irrational group that supposedly dislikes him and deliberately seeks to harm him. At the boundary of perception, a person separates themselves from the surrounding world. If the information we perceive is familiar, our psyche correlates it with existing knowledge and reacts depending on our attitude toward it. However, when we encounter a new experience about which we know nothing, a problem arises that requires a solution. One way to cope with unfamiliar information is to try to make sense of it, accepting difficult situations and actively working through them. Another approach is to associate the new with what is already known, categorized as familiar. A third option is to deny the new information and attempt to eliminate it from consciousness. However, by choosing one of the last two methods, we risk making an inappropriate decision or avoiding it altogether, which can lead to negative consequences.

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