The Problem with Patterns

We’re all pattern seekers.

It’s how we learn.

It could be a pattern of behavior or thought.

It could be a personal style or preference.

People seem to replicate patterns without even realizing it.

I was stuck in traffic the other day looking at a lot of tail lights. It seemed like the back of every car was a face.

The tail lights were eyes, the license plate was the nose, and the seam of the trunk looked like a mouth.

Is it a coincidence that cars have two prominent headlights and tail lights? Why not three or four?

Could it be because the facial pattern is established so early in our development that we “recruited” it for cars?

Once we find a pattern it’s hard to see anything else.

Even when the world around us changes, we keep trying to accommodate those changes in our existing repertoire of patterns.

We’d rather bend and contort them then discard them and start over.

Or, we don’t even notice the changes because our established patterns of thought and action make them invisible.

Is something you’re working on starting to get increasingly harder to accomplish?

Are the same actions on your part suddenly producing different results now than they did before?

You might be stuck in a pattern.

What’s the best way to break out of a pattern?

Dissect Dissonance - It’s very uncomfortable to have your patterns threatened. If you’re having an emotional reaction to a situation (anger, anxiety, etc.), poke it and find out why.

Seek Diversity – Seek the input of someone very different from you in approach and background. Avoid trying to convert them to your point of view. Instead, allow yourself (even temporarily) to be converted. Fully digest their perspective. Identify new ways to tackle your issues.

Experiment – Concentrate on those things that make you the most uncomfortable, apply what you’ve learned from your diverse counsel.

Change is usually painful before it’s exhilarating so stick with it!

Comments

[Liz Strauss]

I think we're onto something. First, you have just explained why people fall in love with bogus statistics -- the correlations between eating ice cream and murder. Theere is a pattern. It doesn't mean the two are actually related.

Second, patterns are preductable and so they make us feel secure. We know what comes next. That's powerful. No surprises. It's easy to tell when things are broken. If a pattern breaks, we notice right away and we feel smart for noticing. :)

[ann michael]

I completely agree, Liz!

It's like identifying and then expecting patterns helps people to act without having to think too much.

Unfortunately, when things change we're still acting according to the old patterns until we recognize it and adjust.

Ann