Remaining psychological rigid by holding onto long-accepted and comfortable mental sets is seductive. It allows us to find a mental and emotional niche to occupy, block out or discount dissonant information and ideas, and choose a likeminded tribe with which to interact. Psychological inflexibility is, for many of us, the normal state of being. This can be especially for those in law enforcement.
The problem with psychological rigidity is that it is inherently unhealthy, emotionally and even physically. When faced of new or challenging information or operational paradigms, when facing anxiety or depression, or when crises arise – as they inevitably will for all of us at some time or other – psychological flexibility is required to overcome the discordant and disorienting noise swirling through our minds. Firmly held mental sets can get in the way of effectively functioning in the face of stress.
As we wrote in our last article and the companion piece to this one (Are You Psychologically Flexible, April 16, 2019):
In psychology, rigidity (cognitive or psychological) refers to an inability or unwillingness to shift from certain unhelpful or obsolete mental sets, the largely subconscious tendencies, beliefs, and behaviors by which we approach problems. Our mental sets are shaped by our experiences, belief systems, habits, and culture, with culture believed to be the predominant driver. Law enforcement is itself one such culture that helps create and shapes the mental sets of those who work within it. Policing reveals and reinforces certain “truths” and cops tend to hold tightly to them even if their veracity is called into question in the context of different knowledge or other cultures.
The key to overcoming the unhelpful or obsolete mental sets that hinder psychological flexibility – and threaten our mental health – is to question their veracity and adjust when it is found wanting. What follows are principles and practices to promote psychological flexibility and challenge old mental sets.
Practice (healthy) self-skepticism
Telling someone to “be skeptical of yourself” might seem like anathema to promoting good mental health, but it’s really not; a lack of healthy self-skepticism – the kind that allows for you to not be the smartest person in the room, the one with all the answers, or left holding onto bad ideas with a death grip because you don’t want to be seen as weak or flagellating by letting go of them – fosters rigid of thoughts. When what you “know” turns out to be wrong, your talents are not up to the task, or the schemas through which you organize and process information are challenged or simply don’t work, rigidity gets in the way of our ability to make needed adjustments and remain resilient.
Regular self-examination is essential to finding our truths, including uncomfortable ones. Done right, this will inevitably mean looking at yourself through a critical lens and calling yourself out on your own bullsh*t. You will make course corrections, rewrite plans, hand off tasks to those better suited for them, and take on those for which you are the best abled. Most importantly, you will learn psychological flexibility. At the same time, you will be able to…
Find and build upon your strengths (or work on improving where you are weak)
In the course of self-examination, you can assess your strengths, reacquaint yourself with some that have been neglected or forgotten, and maybe uncover some you didn’t know about before. By identifying and fostering strengths and skills in any area of life, we literally grow and change our brains for the better.
Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to create new synaptic connections, especially in response to learning and experience, effectively building a stronger, healthier, more flexible brain. People who seek and are open to novel and new experiences, act as lifelong learners, and even engage in regular exercise (running and yoga are particularly helpful, according to some studies) are doing their brains and mental health a favor.
Read constantly, and with an eye toward variety
If you’re reading and understanding this now, you are taking advantage of one of the greatest gifts given you, the ability to read!
Reading is the gateway to lifelong intellectual stimulation and fulfilment, with the practices and skills learned in school merely a foundation on which to build as we take responsibility for our “continuing education.” At least, it should be.
Read constantly, whether you choose the news or novels, professional journals or popular trade mags, online or on “old school” bound paper. Take in information, and a variety of information.
A lot of people are voracious readers, but they only select from a small section of the available buffet. This is something we often see cops do, narrowing their selection to favorite, comfortable titles, writers, themes, or genres. Choosing variety, and especially the kind of variety that challenges and introduces discomfort, is key to fostering intellectual and psychological flexibility. Being able to sit down with uncomfortable ideas, challenge yourself to consider them with an open mind, and, when necessary, revise your position is critical to remaining psychologically flexible.
Seek out the arts
More than simply passive entertainment, all forms of art – literature, film and stagecraft, music, visual arts, etc. – can serve to stimulate and challenge our minds and perspective. As we get older we tend ro prefer and settle in with what’s known and comfortable in terms of our leisure and entertainment choices, seeking that which supports and confirms our worldview, and limiting our exposure to anything that unsettles us.
Confirmation bias is the name for our tendency to seek out and favor that which reinforces what we already believe. It feels good… for a while. It also helps form psychological rigidity and, when faced with differing viewpoints or perspectives, leads to discomfort, anxiety, or anger.
Actively embracing artistic media that cuts at what we unwavering accept with openness and curiosity is hard at first but, with practice and patience, you will learn to integrate and become comfortable with discomfiting ideas and become more psychologically flexible.
Turn to humor
In an October 2017 article (Comedy and Humor are Great Protections) we looked at how accessing and using humor reduces stress and improves both physical and emotional health, and how humor and jokes can impact and activate different parts of the brain. Cops often develop quick, sharp wits – usually of the “gallows humor” type, or similar – and this helps mitigate the potentially devastating effects of a challenging career. But watching others perform comedy has benefits, as well.
Following along with talented comics and comedy, whether stand-up, Improvisational, or incorporated into other mediums, forces our brains to engage, interpret, make connections, and react. Being surprised by what comes next causes the brain to light up as it catches up, essentially “exercising” it. Satire and irony force us to think and can challenge our mental sets with minimally threatening provocation. And humor is naturally stress reducing; displaying and laughing at life’s absurdities is remarkably healing.
And if you are inclined to perform yourself, or happen to enjoy standing in the limelight, we suggest taking Improv, stand-up, or comedy writing classes. We’ve done this, studying Improv for a year as a way to improve public speaking, and the changes were palpable in how we thought, saw the world around us, and experienced absurdity.
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Challenging and changing old and obsolete mental sets is key to increasing psychological flexibility and to preserving our emotional health, but knowing how to change them poses a challenge. Following these concrete disciplines with humility and an openness to change your mind can help, hopefully in an enjoyable way.
