Most of us involved in psychology research are fully aware of the biases we all carry with us constantly. What we think and feel about others and our environments is colored by our personal biases and is often shockingly removed from the "truth" as we see it. We believe we are right and know what's right even though it is probably not true.
Sometimes, these different perspectives we each have on events crash into each other and give us a glimpse of how different our views are from others. So, last season, I was driving my 8-year-old son to one of his many hockey games and he was chattering away in the back seat. At some point, he proclaims, "I hope we lose our game today!" Confident he was being silly and playing an "opposite game" of some sort, I laughed and said something like "Right, as if you want to lose. You mean, I hope we win big today."
In a perfectly serious voice, he replied "No, Dad. Today I really hope we lose the game."
"Why?" I asked, wondering if there was some turmoil on his team such that he no longer wanted his team to succeed.
"Because my friend Carter is on the team we are playing and I don't want him to feel bad if they lose," he said with utmost sincerity.
All I heard was the crash of clashing perspectives.
Our son's hockey coach forwarded a great little article to all of us parents today and reading it reminded me of this event from last season. It is just a fascinating little piece written by a youth hockey coach. Read through it and tell me what you think:
http://www.truesportpur.ca/en/resources-/stories-6-i-hope-they-didn-t-bring-apple-juice
