Breaking the Cycle: Strategies to Combat Implicit Bias

Implicit bias manifests itself in a variety of ways and has a significant impact on our relationships, workplaces, and schools. However, there are steps that we can all take to combat implicit bias.

Implicit bias can enter our lives in various ways, influencing how we perceive and interact with the world around us. And when we aren't paying attention, it can make our decisions appear to be rational, but they aren't. Even though most people are concerned about implicit biases in their own lives and the lives of those around them, we have a long way to go before these biases are truly understood or eliminated. This article explains several ways to combat implicit bias.

What’s In The Article?

• Learn How Our Brains Work And How They Can Lead To Bias

• Pay Attention To Your Biases And Assumptions

• Look For Patterns

• Focus On Getting To Know People As Individuals, Not As A Group

• Try To Catch Yourself In The Moment

• Be Honest With Yourself And Others When You Slip Into Old Habits

• Try To See Things From The Other Person's Perspective

• Final Thoughts

Learn How Our Brains Work And How They Can Lead To Bias

Implicit bias refers to your unconscious associations with certain groups of people. It means that your brain has formed stereotypes about specific groups of people based on your previous experiences. If left unchecked, these biases can cause serious problems in your life. Understanding how implicit bias works is one way we can begin to work towards eliminating it from our daily lives while also recognizing when it may come into play during interactions with others around us. 

Pay Attention To Your Biases And Assumptions

You should recognize that implicit bias is a part of our human nature. It is the automatic association we form between people, objects, or ideas based on their similarity to other things we've seen before. It's not necessarily something we do on purpose but rather something that happens in our brains without our knowledge.

Implicit biases influence behavior by making us more likely to favor those who look like us or have similar characteristics, even if we would not consciously say these characteristics are important. Being aware of your implicit biases can help you avoid unintentionally hurting others. For example, if you treat your coworkers differently because of their race, gender, or age without knowing why, there could be an unconscious reason for this behavior.

You may be unaware of how your implicit biases affect those around you. To break the cycle of implicit bias in our lives, we must become aware of how stereotypes about various groups' abilities or qualities influence our thoughts and actions. Only then we will be able to take the first steps toward change.

Look For Patterns

You can also look for patterns in your behavior by paying attention to the situations you find yourself in, how you react to them, and who is present. For instance, you can answer the following questions to see if you have unconscious biases toward your coworkers:

• Are there any groups that are overrepresented at meetings? If so, what does that imply?

• Do you find yourself avoiding certain coworkers or not inviting them out to lunch as frequently as others? Why are these patterns prevalent in your workplace culture?

Focus On Getting To Know People As Individuals, Not As A Group

Focusing on getting to know people as individuals rather than as a group is critical to combat implicit bias. When talking with someone at work, you can ask questions about their hobbies or interests outside of work. The more specific your questions are about what distinguishes this person from everyone else, the more effective your efforts will be at breaking down stereotypes associated with that race/ethnicity/gender identity category.

Try To Catch Yourself In The Moment

You must be willing to admit that you may be biased and then work to change your behavior. It can be difficult to catch yourself in the moment, but the more you practice, the easier it will become. If you're unsure whether you're biased, ask someone else what they think of your response. When responding to or acting on an assumption about someone based on their identity, they may have noticed something different from what was on your mind.

Be Honest With Yourself And Others When You Slip Into Old Habits

It's easier to see the impact of your biases when you're honest with yourself. Being open and honest with others is the best way to learn how they feel about being around someone who has unconscious biases against them. When you notice that your implicit bias has affected others, you should not be afraid to apologize. It will make them feel more at ease with you and give them the confidence to trust you.

Try To See Things From The Other Person's Perspective

Remember that not everyone sees the world the same way you do, so put yourself in their shoes and consider how they would react if they were in your situation. This can help us avoid making snap judgments about people who look different based on our experiences or assumptions. You never know what someone else has been through unless they tell you. Make sure that everyone has an equal opportunity to express themselves.

Final Thoughts

We can do numerous things in our daily lives to combat implicit bias. We can change our implicit biases by taking small steps. The first step is to recognize that we all have unconscious bias and work to reduce its effects. This is a challenging task, but it is necessary if we want our workplaces to be more inclusive and safe places for everyone.  To better understand people's distinctive experiences and perspectives, you should put more effort into getting to know them as individuals than making generalizations about their membership in a group.