Liminal Thinking: Create the Change You Want by Changing the Way You Think

by Dave Gray

Between 2003 and 2005, researchers conducted a series of studies comparing how Democrats and Republicans interpreted facts about the war in Iraq.1 The researchers were interested in what happens when people encounter new information, especially when it contradicts their existing beliefs. The original invasion was justified in no small part by the Bush administration’s claim that Iraq was concealing weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) and posed a threat to the United States. The U.S. did not find any WMDs, and as the war continued, it seemed increasingly unlikely that WMDs would be found. Neither Republicans nor Democrats challenged these facts. But they had very different interpretations. Democrats concluded that the WMDs had not existed. Republicans concluded that Iraq had moved the WMDs, or destroyed them, or that they had not yet been found. When it became increasingly clear over time that no WMDs would be found, Republican explanations shifted to “Well, there must have been a reason or we wouldn’t have gone in!”

Whatever groups you belong to or most strongly associate with, the dynamics will be similar. Collectively, we create a kind of bubble of belief that reinforces and protects our existing beliefs by denying that alternative beliefs are within the realm of possibility. It’s a kind of collective delusion or dream that we co-create in order to maintain a group map that we use to navigate the world.

People like stability. Once a group of people has formed a belief, they will tend to reinforce it in a way that creates blind spots to alternative beliefs.

People rarely test ideas for external validity when they don’t have internal coherence. If it doesn’t make sense from within the bubble, you’re going to think it’s a mistake, or a lie, or somebody got it wrong. You will tend to do whatever is necessary to protect the consistency and coherence of that bubble, because to you, that bubble is reality itself.

Liminal thinking requires a willingness to test and validate new ideas, even when they seem absurd, crazy, or wrong.

Beliefs are unconsciously defended by a bubble of self-sealing logic, which maintains them even when they are invalid, to protect personal identity and self-worth.

Lying to ourselves is more deeply ingrained than lying to others. —Fyodor Dostoyevsky

It’s very easy to see problems and logical inconsistencies in other people. It’s very hard to see them in yourself.

So often, we try to solve problems as if we are outside them. When people describe a problem, you will often see them pointing away from themselves. You will hear the word them a lot. That’s because “they” are seen as the problem. But in most cases, “they” are only one part of the problem. The problems that are most resistant to solutions are system problems. In a system problem, if you’re part of the system, you’re part of the problem. Your biggest blind spot is yourself.

Assume that you are not objective.

People need to feel that they matter, that they have control over their lives, and that they can make decisions for themselves. They need to feel that they are being treated fairly.

When people’s basic emotional needs are met, they do better work. When they feel valued and important, they perform at much higher levels. When they have a sense of control, they will take initiative. When they feel a sense of belonging, they will contribute more. When they feel they are being treated fairly, they will go the extra mile.

This makes a story a perfect mechanism for making sense of, and sharing, information. In effect, a story translates facts into “rules for action.” A story is just about the most perfect way to package and share beliefs that you will ever find.

If you have beliefs that you want to share, beliefs that you think may change the world for the better, the way to help those beliefs take flight is to share them as stories.

If you give people facts without a story, they will explain it within their existing belief system. The best way to promote a new or different belief is not with facts, but with a story.

It’s better to ask forgiveness than permission,

Your beliefs can’t evolve if you’re not willing to introduce some chaos into the mix. To open new doors, you need to embrace that complexity. Liminal thinking is a way of navigating change by opening the door to ambiguity and uncertainty, recognizing that there can be no real creation without some destruction, a kind of urban renewal program for the mind.

The leaders in an organization, or a family, or a nation, or any group, are not always the people at the top. You can lead from anywhere, and I hope you do.