The Dunning-Kruger effect is a psychological phenomenon where people of all competency levels tend to misjudge their own levels of competency. The unskilled ones tend to overestimate their competence, while those extremely skilled ones tend to underestimate their abilities.
This video below further explains this effect:
Interest in this phenomenon increased during the recent U.S. elections. People were trying to understand Trump’s behavior of having great confidence about things he may not actually have adequate knowledge on to warrant such confidence.
The consequences of the Dunning-Kruger effect are usually harmless, but at times, they can cause serious repercussions. In the example given in the article, a former neurosurgeon was sentenced to life imprisonment for maiming patients due to his lack of insight on how bad his technique actually was. It is most dangerous if the ones with influence do not have people around them who are willing to speak up against them, or who are unwilling to take in critical feedback of their flaws.
Read the full article on The Washington Post: What’s behind the confidence of the incompetent? This suddenly popular psychological phenomenon.
Analysis:
This article was written by someone who is evidently a non-supporter of Trump and it depicts a rather non-forgiving view of his competence. The author has highlighted a portion of the Dunning-Kruger effect that applies to the current president of the U.S. with a closer look at what the other implications of this psychological effect can be.
Another context in which this effect can explain unpleasant behaviors is at the workplace. There are people dubbed Empty Suits in the workplace who consistently lack the self-awareness to know that he or she does not know everything there is to know, yet display an air of confidence and get promoted. Both the overconfidence effect and ability to self-assess are related to the Dunning-Kruger effect. Without the ability to recognise them and call them out, empty promises could be made, and projects may not be executed well, thereby affecting organizational performance and culture.
Questions for further personal evaluation:
- What other scenarios can you think of that the Dunning-Kruger effect can be applied to?
- How should we avoid falling into the trap of falsely assessing our own abilities?
Useful vocabulary:
- ‘hubris’: an extreme and unreasonable feeling of pride and confidence in yourself
- ‘epithet’: a word or phrase used to describe someone, often as an insult
- ‘ramifications’: a complex or unwelcome consequence of an action or event
Picture credits: https://pixabay.com/en/mental-health-mental-health-head-3337026/