Know What Motivates
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Research on human decision making is swiftly honing in on one central conclusion: Motivations lead and reasons follow. In other words, what generally comes first is a preference – a desire in the form of what we want to decide. What comes second are the reasons that support that desire. We are pulled toward a particular choice by motives that are powerful though not always conscious. Then, like a lawyer trying to build a case, we generate reasons to support that choice. This understanding of human decision making finds substantial support in recent social science research, particularly in a robust line of studies conducted by NYU business ethics professor Jon Haidt and his team. In addition, I’ve also written about a number of studies like the one looking at parents evaluating information on daycare or home-care for children (Bastardi, Uhlmann & Ross, 2011), demonstrating that the best predictor of what we consider to be “good reasons” is whether those reasons conform to what we want to believe.
So if it is true that motivations lead and reasons follow, then the critical question for litigators and other practical persuaders is: “What motivates?” The answer to that question will be as varied as the setting and the audience. But in this blog, I’ve frequently focused on some consistent themes involving broad and powerful motivators. To pull those themes together into one spot, I’ll devote this post to the creation of a brief taxonomy of the motivators I’ve covered. It is not by any means a complete list, but for litigators wanting to consider motivators, as well as reasons (that should be all litigators), I think it is a useful set of reminders. So, without any further ado, here is my list of ten ways our reasons tend to bend toward our wants.
1. Beliefs Motivate
2. Attitudes Motivate
3. Ideology Motivates
4. Fear and Insecurity Motivates
5. Power Motivates
6. Choice Motivates
7. Comparison and Compromise Motivates
8. Shortcuts Motivate.
9. Emotions Motivate
10. Stories Motivate
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