System 1 gets in the way is a thought I have been sharing in class for a couple of months now. The idea is that no matter how much your train, you or your body tend to react automatically.. especially in scary situations. It is very, very difficult to change habits, let alone “automatic” reactions. So, to further the discussion let’s begin to define what System 1 is.
What is System 1?
System 1 is an automatic response to stimulus. Think of your reaction to a loud noise… most people automatically duck or put their hands up or even drop down low. That startled feeling.. your heart beating faster, getting you ready to run. Yes, that feeling. We know about Fight, Flight or Freeze. That is automatic. How hard is that to override? A growling dog or other animal – how many are ready to run? Maybe you have learned to over-ride that impulse, having learned running makes the dog chase you. (We know better, right?)
Here is an excerpt of a business blog discussing the topic:
The concept, developed by psychologist Daniel Kahneman, posits that decision-making is not entirely based on conscious, rational thought. In his book Thinking Fast and Slow, Kahneman delineates two modes of thinking: “System 1” is instantaneous, driven by instinct and prior learning; “System 2” is slower, driven by deliberation and logic. Even when we believe we are making decisions based on rational considerations, our System 1 beliefs, biases, and intuition drive many of our choices. (Observer – What is ‘System 1’ Thinking – and Why Do You Need to Learn it? )
Interesting this concept is being discussed in the marketing industry. The marketing industry wants you to not think and buy their products by activating System 1. My introduction to the concept was reading “Facing Violence” by Rory Miller. Understanding System 1 and helping others train their bodies (and mind) to respond to threats better has been at the forefront of my lesson plans. As System 1 gets in the way, my idea is train movements so no thinking is required. Taking the time to think can be too slow when action is needed. If someone swings at you, you really need to be blocking and not thinking “why are they swinging at me?”
Training System 1
How do we keep System 1 from getting in the way? We use System 2. Most of us spend a lot of time using System 2 – we plan our day. We plan our classes. We teach techniques step by step. We help people see the options available for particular circumstances. We give scenarios in which we would automatically react and slow everything down to make people feel “safe” so they don’t activate System 1. This isn’t revolutionary. The better teachers do this automatically.
How do we keep from reacting with our gut? Do we really want to over-ride our automatic responses. In most cases, the answer is No. We spend a lot of time helping people believe their intuition when they feel danger is near. So many people just don’t believe what their mind/brain is telling them. That person isn’t shouting at me… that person isn’t coming over here… that person isn’t swing at me…. why am I waking up in the hospital…
I have expressed in class the need to practice, practice, practice. Repeat your movements until you don’t have to think about them. If you don’t know how do a technique, ask someone so you can work on it. And then, practice, practice, practice. Learn techniques to see negative situations in advance. Learn techniques to de-escalate negative situations. Learn techniques to respond to the situation with a favorable outcome.
Even after all of the years of training, there are times I wonder if System 1 will get in the way for me. This is reality. The most trained person does some “dumb” things. I watch black belts freeze in the ring, facing “attacks” they have trained for. “Why didn’t you move or see the attack coming?” is a question we ask ourselves when reviewing fights. Looking at the video from our “safe” vantage point, we see all of our mistakes. We remember almost every detail of the encounter. The people moving on the screen even look like they are moving in slow motion. And yet, at the time, everything moved so fast. There was no time to react. System 1 got in the way!
Don’t be so automatic?
I hope this discussion helps you begin to think about your reactions. Don’t be so automatic. Of course, you can’t help yourself. System 1 is what it is. Now you can begin to train it. Determine what you want for your life. This helps to prevent System 1 from getting in the way.