Believe or don’t believe.  Is there a parallel between appraisals and how people respond to pandemic warnings?

Appraisal reviewers decide whether an appraisal is “worthy of belief” (“credible”) or not.  Similarly, people decide whether to believe in the need for public health orders.

Steven Dinkin (president of the National Conflict Resolution Center) recently had some observations on the public’s response to the pandemic, dividing people into two groups:  defiant or compliant. What is interesting is that each group has a belief that their thinking is the right thinking.  Their opinion is the right opinion.

Let’s look first at the “defiants.”  Some of these are defiant out of economic necessity – money.  The need to eat can trump health risk.  (Especially if the health risk is to other nameless strangers.  “They have to take care of themselves.”)  Guess what – food on the table comes first.

And there is another type of defiant.  “The government should stay out of our business – people should just take care of themselves.”  They feel their beliefs have a higher purpose.  They may even say that a few more people may have to die, so the rest of us can be happy and free and fed.

Then there are the “compliants.” This camp follows social-distancing and stay-at-home guidelines. They feel they are more spiritual in their motive, putting others ahead of themselves.  (But of course, they want to stay safe too.)

So, we have two camps.  Each claims a higher motive for self, as well as a motive for how they think of others!  Similar, or even identical motives!

Let’s come back to appraisal credibility.  How does an appraiser get to be “worthy of belief?”  How do you get anyone to believe what you want them to believe?

A quick online look-up gave me this:

“Beliefs are the ideas, viewpoints and attitudes of the particular group of society. They consist of fables, proverbs, myths, folklore, traditions, superstition, education and etc. that influence the ideas, values, emotions, perceptions and attitude of the members of the society.”

Hmmm.  None of these say anything about food on the table.  None of these say anything about the need to keep a client happy.  Nothing about fear: “losing what I got, or not getting what I want.”

Dinkin goes on to say two groups are developing:  the susceptibles and the immunes.  How do you think these two groups set up?  Do you think the susceptibles tend to be the compliants?  And the immunes tend to be the defiants?  Yep.

In much the same way, appraisal standards insist that we engender belief in our reviewers – repeatedly.  Better than presenting facts and data and logic.  Find ways to confirm and support your prior beliefs.  Heck, its an opinion.  Not an analytical result!  Form an opinion, then find a way to support that opinion.

Well, that’s my analysis, logic, and words from the standards.  If you believe them.  Believe that the standards say something different?  I have not changed your mind.  In fact, studies show that even in the face of evidence or research, results contrary to our prior beliefs – will reinforce our prior belief.

Prior beliefs triumph again.  And you will be confirmed repeatedly by friends who believe as you do.  Why would you even choose to talk to the idiots on the “other side?”