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Fascinating. I'm regularly coaching individuals to avoid absolutist words more as a means so they don't stir the pot with team members. This study points out a

Fascinating. I'm regularly coaching individuals to avoid absolutist words more as a means so they don't stir the pot with team members. This study points out a correlation that makes me rethink how I approach that advice. It seems like there's a lot of room for understanding how language can impact behavior. There's the colloqualism "Perception is reality" and I guess with CBT the true mechanism is to change the language of a persons internal dialogue thus changing the way someone perceives the world.

jackhack 9y ago
What is the goal for avoiding absolutist words? I ask because I would much rather work with someone who is decisive than with someone who avoids judgements and "absolutist words." I see the latter as "wishy-washy." I'm sure that says more about me than them, but I find those who always seek a middle ground to be uninspiring and low-energy.
- drb91 9y ago
  In can correlate with lack of ability to think in terms of trade-offs and nuance. "Wishy-washy" seems like a proxy for a better defined characteristic, but I'm not sure what. Indecisive? Ambivalent? You tell me! It is a false dichotomy to portray communication as either absolutist or wishy-washy. You can communicate precisely and confidently without falling back on inaccurate hyperbole, which is often what absolutism is.
  - tkahnoski 9y ago
    Fear of conflict. Fear of mistakes.
- tkahnoski 9y ago
  Real examples "We've never done that." or "That's never a problem for us.", "In my entire career I've never done it that way". At which point there are almost always examples, but really all its doing is shutting down the conversation. These statements generally come from an emotional reaction (or gut-feel) which are fine since we are humans after all... but really do nothing to help have a rational conversation and make a smart decision. Wishy-washiness is certainly another problem, but that's a whole different topic.

jackhack 9y ago

What is the goal for avoiding absolutist words? I ask because I would much rather work with someone who is decisive than with someone who avoids judgements and "absolutist words." I see the latter as "wishy-washy." I'm sure that says more about me than them, but I find those who always seek a middle ground to be uninspiring and low-energy.

drb91 9y ago
In can correlate with lack of ability to think in terms of trade-offs and nuance. "Wishy-washy" seems like a proxy for a better defined characteristic, but I'm not sure what. Indecisive? Ambivalent? You tell me! It is a false dichotomy to portray communication as either absolutist or wishy-washy. You can communicate precisely and confidently without falling back on inaccurate hyperbole, which is often what absolutism is.
- tkahnoski 9y ago
  Fear of conflict. Fear of mistakes.
tkahnoski 9y ago
Real examples "We've never done that." or "That's never a problem for us.", "In my entire career I've never done it that way". At which point there are almost always examples, but really all its doing is shutting down the conversation. These statements generally come from an emotional reaction (or gut-feel) which are fine since we are humans after all... but really do nothing to help have a rational conversation and make a smart decision. Wishy-washiness is certainly another problem, but that's a whole different topic.