Mental maps (also called paradigms) – we all have them.
A mental map is a picture of the world we have in our minds about how things are or should be. It does not necessarily have to be true or accurate, but it provides a structure or lens through which we experience and make sense of life.
When we find ourselves stuck in a particular situation, the temptation is to try harder or to change our attitude and while that may be of some use, often it can at times be of no help at all. The late Stephen Covey gives a helpful analogy of how it is like trying to find one’s way around Chicago when the map in front of you is actually that of Detroit. No amount of hard work or positive thinking will get you where you want to go. The secret to lasting change comes from changing our mental map or paradigm.
A famous quote attributed to Albert Einstein is, “The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we had when we first created them.“
What that means is for lasting change to occur we need to change our paradigm.
What does the concept of paradigms mean to you?
What do you see in this picture shown?
In our next blog post we will explore further what is meant by a paradigm shift and the life changing implications this can have.
Hi Sunil
I wonder how old this picture is because I distinctly remember being shown it during my schooldays and also throughout later years. I saw then, as I see now, a left profile of a young girl with long hair wearing a bonnet. Now, I know from what other friends saw that actually it is also possible to see an old hag. I have made it a point, every time this picture is presented, to see the young girl and not the old hag. I know she is there but I choose to ignore her. In my mind, she does not exist.
This is a very astute article about changing our paradigm in order to effect necessary changes in our lives. To explore further, we could also say that once we have a fixed positive paradigm, we would do well not to lose sight of it if we are to navigate our way in life. Thus when faced with a negative situation, we must not let that impact on this positive mental picture of how life actually ought to be. To give a very simple example, I know that God is merciful, forgiving and that he keeps his promises. When something bad happens, it is wise not to listen to the whispering voices that say God has abandoned me or that I am worthless in his sight. It is knowing that Detroit is where you want to be, realising that you are lost in Chicago where you do not belong, and using the fixed mental map in your head to lead you back to Detroit.
Thank you Mei Ling for your helpful insights. We will explore these very ideas further in the next post.
This picture was drwan by a cartoonist named
W.E.HILL and published in PUCK in 1915.
As a visiting faculty to charted accountants of ICAI i use this picture as a warm up exercise with class of 50/60 students. when asked to share their perceptions, normally the ratio of those seeing the young wman and the old woman is 60/40.
When some are invited in pairs to convince each other, the invariable fail.
This leads to an interesting talk on perceptions and how they are formed and ho can the be changes- the paradigm shift.
Thank you for providing the background to the picture.
Yes it is interesting how we can become so convinced that our view or perception is the right one. This has great implications for when we enter more controversial areas – it is so easy to get stuck in thinking that my way is the only right way. In the next post I will give examples of significant paradigm shifts in my own life.