Open and Closed Minds

In cognitive psychology there is a very interesting area of research and theory which suggests that we inherit different types of mental characteristics. One of these is the tendency to look within ourselves for solutions to problems and another is the tendency to look to others or the environment for cues and clues. The existence of these cognitive styles has been well established. Parents and school teachers might benefit from understanding “field independent” (looking within) and “field dependent” (looking externally) so they can better teach and understand children.

There is also a line of research related to “dogmatism,” or how rigid a person thinks. Mental rigidity is holding firmly to pre-established beliefs and refusing to consider flexible or alternative ideas. Further, and quite often, a dogmatic person tends to also insist that others believe as he or she believes. Such a person is thought to have a “closed mind.” Open minded people consider many different points of view, tend to be better listeners, and to have better social relationships.

Why all the interest in people’s mental styles? For one thing, people who are field independent (refer to themselves for answers) tend to do better academically but less well socially. If such a person is in a marriage, for instance, his or her partner may feel isolated. If someone is married to a person with a closed mind, he or she is not only isolated but will feel rejected. When two people marry who are equally rigid then conflict is often frequent and intense.

Children can be understood in terms of their mental style as well and parents play a role in determining how open or closed minded children become. Since children are developing and growing they are vulnerable to parental examples. Parents who are rigid about some things often teach the same mental qualities to their children because they insist their children see and understand things from their (the parents’) point of view. Further, the parents in this case are often demanding about it.

Researchers speculate that this may be the means of transmitting political and religious values from parents to children. In our case, however, it is not enough to simply study human behavior. We want to understand what makes individuals happy and relationships fulfilling. That is why it is good to understand one another and learn to make successful adjustments to each other.