Developing Counter Perspectives

When was the last time you thought of something new? Or better yet, when was the last time you built and developed a whole new perspective on something? This is the practice of developing counter perspectives, which is the practice of actively challenging your own dominant narratives and assumptions by constructing opposing, well-reasoned arguments.

This is the hallmark of critical thinking and is something we must train ourselves to do. Many people cannot even fathom that their strong views on a matter have equally credible and reasonable counter perspectives. When placed in a position of power or decision-making, this type of person is very dangerous because they take a linear approach to developing perspectives.

When they see, hear, or read something, they formulate their own view and they cement it as fact. They convert an opinion from self into a rule for all. The danger is that it creates a fatal blind spot by treating this perception as fact and viewing every subsequent interaction as an attack on that initial view, leading to defensiveness and further blind spots.

Let’s try an exercise. Try think of a specific event, preferably one that is highly emotive in an unfavourable way, like such a time when somebody wronged you.

Now, try your best to depart from that dominant perspective and formulate at least two brand new counter perspectives based on the other person, developing reasons that may justify their behaviour towards you. Can you see how difficult that was? That difficulty is the tension between your “fact” and the multiple other possible perspectives on the contrary that are challenging it.

I suggest you continually practice developing counter perspectives on areas that are important to you, especially if your current perspective is not serving you well.

In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch. It’s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.