Mental Models – A Step Towards Quality Decision-Making
By Simran Chandrasekaran
How many times have you wondered if you have made the right decision? The ‘decision’ I am referring to could range from anything to everything – from deciding whether you want an espresso or a latte from Starbucks today to deciding whether you wish to pursue a career in data analysis or as a wild-life photographer. Mental models are frameworks that help you make these decisions after a thorough analysis of the situation (Carley & Palmquist, 1992).
To grasp exactly what I mean, let’s imagine what blind spots are; they are things you literally or figuratively cannot see. Now, what if I told you that having a minimum number of these blind spots could help you become as successful as one could possibly be! You are probably wondering how you could minimize these blind spots. This is where mental models come to play. Mental models are ways in which we can think in order to reveal these blind spots to ourselves. They help us think of solutions to problems our brains do not traditionally reflect upon. Now that we understand what mental models are, let’s explore a few aspects of mental models and how they can improve our decision-making skill set. The basic mental model framework revolves around three aspects:
Inversion
First principles thinking
Second-order thinking
A majority of these frameworks arise from a more cognitive approach towards psychology primarily because it revolves around how we, as humans, THINK. These words might seem like a ton of jargon right now but let me break them down for you.
You have been slacking off at work for a couple of days now, and you decide it is time you made changes in how you go about your daily chores. You sit down with a pen and paper to decide what you are going to do from the next day onwards but don’t get quite far on planning your schedule. This is where the first aspect of mental models, inversion, comes to your rescue. You will begin by making a note of everything you can do that would make your day extremely unproductive – sleeping until noon, eating a heavy breakfast that would leave you tired, and heading out to Walmart even though you have everything you need stocked up. Now, flip your ‘unproductive day’ schedule around – waking up by 7 am, eating a light yet filling breakfast, and working on your tasks that are due rather than willing away your time. There you go! You now have the perfect plan for how you will make the next day productive. This is the core principle behind INVERSION; when you have difficulties solving a problem that you might be facing, solve the exact opposite of the problem first. You never know what inverting a terrible idea could lead to; That’s right! A good outcome!
Now, let’s talk about the second aspect of the mental model framework – FIRST PRINCIPLES THINKING. To understand this, let’s rewind to an example I gave at the beginning – choosing a career path. Deciding what to pursue in life is a challenging thought process. Many people say they have lost interest in their course/job and regret choosing it in the first place. Have you ever felt the same? Have you ever decided on a career path for yourself based on what people already in the field have told you? Maybe they told you they loved their job and that working at the company makes them the happiest person alive. Did hearing words like these attract you towards that field and come up with the assumption that, if it worked out for them, it ought to work out for me too? This is when you would utilize the first principle thinking aspect of mental models. Let’s bring our old friends – the pen and paper back and carefully examine the career path that made everyone happy and the career path you wanted to pursue. This examination could help you break down your problem, which would further help you understand the similarities and differences in interests between your friend who is happy at their job and you who is unsure about which path to choose. Upon close examination, you will either realize that you share the same interests as your friends and that doing the same job that they are doing would make you happy, or you would realize that you and your friends have very different interests and that you should stick to your original career path or analyze more career paths in order to be happy. That’s the importance of the first principles thinking; it helps you analyze and break down a problem rather than making a hasty decision that you might regret later.
Now, let’s talk about the third and final feature of the mental model framework – SECOND-ORDER THINKING. To understand this, let us rewind to an example that we used initially – deciding whether you want an espresso or latte from Starbucks. You might wonder why you need a mental model to decide something as simple as this one; here is why! Second-order thinking is based on understanding the consequences and outcomes of an action before you perform it. In this case, if you were going to Starbucks at 11 pm knowing that you have to be up at 7 am the following day, your second order thinking would help you consider the negative consequences of having an espresso – not being able to sleep on time, resulting in you waking up late and tired in the morning.
You would be shocked to know how mental models as simple as these have helped people become better thinkers, be more innovative with their ideas, manage performance, and master the art of productivity. Now that you have understood the main aspects of mental models, try applying them to decisions you were having a hard time making, or reflect upon a time you were unable to pick between two options. Is the choice easier now that you know the secrets to effective decision-making? I bet; it is.
REFEENCES
Carley, K., & Palmquist, M. (1992). Extracting, Representing, and Analyzing Mental Models. Social Forces, 70(3), 601–636. https://doi.org/10.2307/2579746
Cherry, K. (2022, February 17). Cognitive Psychology: The Science of How We Think. Very Well Mind. Retrieved February 22, 2022, from https://www.verywellmind.com/cognitive-psychology-4157181
Clear, J. (n.d.). Mental Models: Learn How to Think Better and Gain a Mental Edge. James Clear. Retrieved February 18, 2022, from https://jamesclear.com/mental-models
How to Personalize your Career Path with First Principles Thinking. (n.d.). Career Launchpad. Retrieved February 21, 2022, from https://www.careerlaunchpad.io/blog/how-to-personalize-your-career-path-with-first-principles-thinking-wait-but-why
Nichols, M. (2020, July 13). Career Mapping: A First Principles Approach. Linkedin. Retrieved February 18, 2022, from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/career-mapping-first-principles-approach-matthew-nichols/