Mental Rigidity, This Intolerant And Hurried Prison Guard

The expression “to be closed-minded” has been part of popular language for a long time.

This expression is used to refer to a person who presents a certain mental rigidity; in other words, of a person who does not understand or does not want to understand a point of view different from his own, or on the contrary of a person who, wanting to make us listen to reason, loses his temper trying to make us understand our mistake and convince ourselves that we were wrong.

Thus, one could say that, conventionally, when we speak of someone “closed-minded”, we are referring to a person who rejects ideas or other perspectives different from his own in order to “close himself off” and confine himself to their own ideas and mental patterns; ultimately, to a person who tries to adapt the world to his ideas, and not the other way around.

This expression, like many other popular expressions, has nuances when it is used from a psychological point of view.

Thus, one could say that the expression “to be closed-minded” has known different semantic variations in the field of psychology as a discipline.

In this article, we are going to focus on two of its variations.

Mental Rigidity

Mental rigidity implies a lack of flexibility and open-mindedness when it comes to seeing things from different perspectives, accepting a criticism of something that you do not yourself. in question, and to live rather than survive.

This expression has often been used in the field of clinical psychology, whether as a phenomenon, symptom or trait of character.

Here are some examples :

• As a clinical phenomenon: when the psychoanalyst speaks of mental rigidity, he refers to a certain resistance on the part of the patient to change, or to the discussion around a specific subject that the latter would prefer to avoid.
  This definition makes much more sense, and is more related to the expression we use in everyday life.
  For example, we can talk about the mental rigidity of a patient in the face of love or commitment, which then complicates the work on these two themes.

• Mental rigidity is also very much involved in the concept of “Comfort Zone”, where it acts by cutting those wings necessary for the imagination, improvement and amplification of our comfort zone, thus exploring new places.

• Mental rigidity can also be a symptom of certain disorders such as Asperger’s Syndrome, senile dementias, or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
  The meaning and manifestation of mental rigidity are the same as presented above.
• In reality, however, the concept of mental rigidity is more widely regarded as a “trait of character”.
  In other words, generally in clinical psychology, mental rigidity is a set of mental, emotional, and behavioral (albeit fundamentally mental) characteristics that present themselves together in a stable fashion.
  Thus, we can speak of a continuous movement comprising two opposite poles: high rigidity, and low rigidity.

The Need for Cognitive Closure

The need for Cognitive Closure refers to the need to remove the uncertainty that a thought or situation can generate in us.

This need would arise in us, thus motivating us to give a simple answer. The greater the need for closure, the more energy it will take to accept the response.

Even that does not imply that the answer is good, certain, genuine, or just plain sane.

But, what does this have to do with closed-minded people? The answer is very simple.

Imagine that one day, ash starts to fall from the sky. This phenomenon would be inexplicable, since there is no volcano around, nor anything that can produce as much ash.

A closed-minded person or someone with a great need for cognitive closure would say it’s not ash, it’s snow.

As we said previously, the greater the need for closure, the greater the urgency of the response, even if the latter is not certain.

Now imagine that the situation emotionally involves the person; let’s say that one of his relatives died.

The person presenting a strong need for closure – not forgetting the peculiarities specific to each one – will try to give an answer to this great uncertainty that is death in a categorical way, and perhaps even more painful than it does. should.

She will put the blame on the doctors and channel her hatred on them, or else she will feel guilty for all the mistakes she made with the deceased.

The possible scenarios are numerous, but all have the same characteristic: that of immediacy and impetuosity, when at times, these factors do not help.

This is the common characteristic between the need for cognitive closure and the expression “to be closed-minded”: immediacy, and low tolerance for uncertainty, which prompts to respond, and not necessarily in seeking to formulate a new response.

Are you closed-minded?

The answer to this question comes in two parts. Previously in this article, we told you about stiffness as a cognitive trait as well as the need for mental closure, while observing the logical functioning of this need that, to a greater or lesser extent, we all feel: that of overcoming uncertainty.

On the one hand, we have to be honest with ourselves and ask ourselves if we want to seek explanations or give them.

If you stop cutting your friends off when they’re talking, if you allow curiosity sometimes to take precedence over the temptation to stick with the first answer alternative, or if you’re able to live with questions, probably are you far from being a closed-minded person.

As we have already seen, being rigid or not is a personal matter, which is why it obviously makes no sense to say things like “I am less rigid than you” when the scale determines each one. between us.

On the other hand, with regard to the need for closure, it must be said that even if we have scales and tests of all kinds to measure it (Webmaster and Kruglanski, 1994), ultimately, this is the case: we all have this need for closure.

There is nothing more human than to seek mental efficiency and the avoidance of the discomfort which supposes not to understand something, especially if this something involves our emotions.

Who could blame a loved one for his feelings about death?

Finally, what must be held is that it is a continuous movement; it’s hard to be or not to be rigid, to have or not to need closure.

Ultimately, even if we can measure these factors, the root of the problem, only we can manage it.

So, maybe our job is not about being more or less closed, but about understanding why we are, and how detrimental it is to us.