Meet Theo. Theo is my family cat. About four months ago, Theo began acting up. We took him to the Vet, who gave him a full examination. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, we were told that Mr. Theo was suffering from anxiety and that we should invest in some aromatherapy to help calm him.
Over the course of the next month, Theo’s behavior grew worse. The aromatherapy was a costly experiment that didn’t seem to calm his nerves. We phoned the Vet who asked to test a litter box sample. When the results came back negative, we got a call saying Theo was physically fine but that Prozac was the answer.
To make a long story short – Theo’s behavior continued to spiral out of control. It became more apparent to us that the problem must be physical not psychological. Yet each interaction with the Vet reinforced that his problems can be fixed by increasing his Prozac.
Finally, we took a step back.
Our Vet was not critically thinking. She wasn’t recognizing her own assumptions. The information we provided was not considered relevant and often categorized as opinion not facts. She wasn’t seeking alternative viewpoints nor was she asking for input or critiques on her diagnosis from the other Vets in the practice.
But we weren’t critically thinking either. Her position as the Vet clouded our judgment and kept us from asking more questions and pushing her for a better solution. We did not seek alternative viewpoints. We accepted her diagnosis, perhaps because of her authority. We allowed her to persuade us that she was right, regardless of how little it made sense.
In the end, we’re getting a second opinion. Or in the RED Model world we’re seeking alternative viewpoints, asking others to critique and using multiple resources. Sometimes you have to stop and ask yourself, “how’s this working for me?” In our situation it wasn’t working at all. Critical thinking fails happen. We have to be able to stop and acknowledge when we have a critical thinking fail moment. Only then can we brainstorm how to get back on track.
Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Elizabeth Pauker-Silva
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