Indeed, it is undeniable that everyone possesses biases. This is a fact. Nonetheless, having a bias does not necessarily categorize an individual as immoral, and not all biases result in harm or inflict pain. The failure to acknowledge biases can predispose one to make erroneous judgments in professional environments, personal life, and relationships.
Upon initial confrontation with this concept that all individuals harbor biases, my immediate response was, "Surely, not me!" After all, I was raised in a family where diversity and inclusion were integral values. How could I possibly be biased?
People harbor both explicit and implicit biases. The implicit ones, however, are the most problematic since they are the biases we are unaware of.
What Is Implicit Bias?
What precisely constitutes an unconscious (or implicit) bias? The Kirwan Institute at Ohio State University, renowned for its studies on race and ethnicity, articulates these biases as "unconscious attitudes or stereotypes impacting our understanding, decisions, and actions. We must note that our implicit prejudices may not necessarily correspond with our consciously declared beliefs."
Why Should We Care About Our Biases?
In pursuing figure skating instruction, I utilized my experiences as a former national skater, supplementing my coaching degree. The introduction to video analysis emerged as a careless strategy to minimize bias. My steadfast objective remains to leverage my abilities to the maximum in assisting each skater I mentor to realize their utmost potential. Several years prior, my analysis commenced on the impact of biases on various facets of our occupations and existences. We discovered an abundance of biases linked with stereotyping: educators were perceived as overly lenient, engineers and scientists as excessively strict, older people as overly critical, and the youth as overly immature. These manifestations were the product of our conscious minds, namely, explicit biases.
Can Implicit Biases Be Overcome?
How can we identify and mitigate our inherent biases? Firstly, acknowledging the existence of biases within ourselves is crucial. Ironically, the more we affirm our lack of bias, the bigger the blind spot may become in identifying our implicit prejudices.
Furthermore, it's crucial to understand that the traditional wisdom of "trusting your instinct" might not effectively inhibit the recognition of implicit bias. It's essential to critically analyze our process of forming opinions about individuals and scrutinize our decision-making technique.
Indeed, it is a universal truth that we sometimes utter words or execute actions we later regret. Regrettably, the bias is often to ignore, deny, or hope that the evidence of our lapse went unnoticed. Nevertheless, the truth remains that the incident occurred; words were spoken and heard, so we'd like to acknowledge, apologize, and progress. Based on personal experience, individuals are generally appreciative and able to move forward when they recognize their mistake and offer an apology.
Since building the Perform'Live database many years ago, collecting thousands of data on figure skating jumps to understand better what a practical move is helps limit the most bias.
Moreover, by pushing ourselves to recognize and surmount our intrinsic biases and assisting others in identifying their own, we build a foundation for a harmonious and productive personal and professional environment. We live many lives. In my professional life, after being a figure skater and a figure skating coach, I am studying and learning how athletes move and how to adjust their techniques.