This is a popular children’s game played at parties. Several chairs are distributed throughout a room. Then a couple of children are taken to the end of the room and blindfolded. They are told that they must walk from one side of the room to another without bumping into the chairs. Once the children are blindfolded, all the chairs are removed from the room and the floor is clear. The children then tentatively move slowly across the room. They move very slowly and are understandably cautious. On occasions the children will not move at all.
Here the children have a mental map of the room. They walk across the room using this map. However, the map is inaccurate. Similarly, many people make assumptions about the world that will inhibit their performance. These are not real obstacles. They are imaginary yet appear real to the people involved. One of the challenges for us is to differentiate between imaginary and real obstacles. It is about getting a truer view of the real world.
One of the challenges for us is to differentiate between imaginary and real obstacles.
There are many ways that old maps cause problems. For example, many people do not understand their own strengths and weaknesses. So a person who overestimates their current abilities may end up experiencing an unnecessary failure. Conversely, there are many talented people who do not recognize their own talents. Their ‘map of the world’ tells them they have no talent and they act accordingly.
There are also people who cannot read the emotions of others. They risk appearing insensitive and miss out on valuable information. Others may not have a clear sense of purpose or of where they are going in life. In all these areas, and many others, the problems arise from having inadequate psychological maps.
