Benefits of rational thinking in an irrational time

Rational Thinking and Common Sense
 
I was running a course last week and mentioned that people often behave irrationally when confronted with a situation they don't understand, or that applies a certain degree of time sensitive pressure on them.  I further suggested that in fact, it's probably more common for people to make irrational choices that rational ones.

Everything was fine initially, until the group I was training realised that when I was speaking of "people" I was including them!  Interesting isn't it that we are happy to label everyone else as irrational but not ourselves! One person in particular stated  "I never make irrational decisions because I have common sense".

Now, this was interesting, because, by her argument, rational decisions are just common sense.  This creates a small dilemma for me, because I suspect that actually most of our decisions are made in the absence of common sense. 

Some examples of "common sense failure"

Drinking too much, even though common sense tells us that tomorrow we will have a hangover.  Not exercising enough even though we know we've put on weight and our clothes don't fit.  Shoes that we love the look of but don't fit properly.  Smokers who know the risk of cancer.  Drivers who know that filling the car with fuel is exorbitant, but then don't do anything to reduce their fuel consumption by emptying the boot, putting air in the tires and driving at a sensible speed.  Buying lottery tickets believing you really will win the  six week rollover jackpot!


Common Sense in the Care Sector

We Know that the majority of us will grow old enough to need the help of one or more carers but we seem to be wandering around imagining it will never happen to us.

If rational behaviour and common sense played a massive part in our behaviour, then why aren't we engaging in a massive improvement in care to ensure we are the most pampered and cared for group to ever have gotten (or get) old.  I personally suspect I will need some form of support around 40 years from now, so my ambition is that at least ten years before that, elderly care is like some sort of luxury holiday service with cakes and loveliness and people to wait on me hand and foot making sure that everyone is able to realise that I'm perfectly entitiled to my opinion and to repeat the same story three times during the same conversation.

Sadly all the evidence is, that as more of us get to the stage of requiring care, the people in charge of the funding and legislation seem to be sending it in the opposite direction!

So given the unlikely event that my care home (unless I win the aforementioned lottery) is going to be paradise on earth, what would I like from it when I get there?  Well let's have a look at some of the basic stuff like how the staff will handle my behaviour.

 What do we know?

1. We know that everyone gets annoyed or angry sometimes
2. We know that sometimes the people who live in care or supported living get angry and might behave in a way that could cause anxiety/distress/fear in the person supporting them
3. We know that people who work in care homes will have to manage and/or deal with that anger
4. We know that the people who work in care homes are under pressure
5. We know that when people are under pressure they don't always do the correct thing
6. We know that sometimes peoples "common sense" tells them to do totally the wrong thing in these circumstances

 Rational Thinking would indicate then 

• that staff should receive guidance on what to do
• they should have a clear plan written down to follow in the case of a crisis with the person they support,
• they should have a clear debriefing process (not just a process of being told off)
• be trained to understand why the people they support might be angry
• be trained to manage that persons anger when it happens

So

Why is it then, that this group of twelve staff I trained last week, who now all work in learning disabilities but ten of who recently worked in different elderly care homes throughout Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire had never received any training, guidance or policies on managing behaviour they might find challenging?

The common response from employers is, "we don't have enough money".  Well common sense would tell us that a motivated, well trained and supported staff group often work better and don't leave as frequently then  maybe you'd save a fortune on recruitment costs?  Perhaps those ten staff I trained last week would still be working in elderly care therefore saving their employers from have to recruit new ones? 

Also a well trained staff group are far less likely to behave in a way which would lead to abuse of people in their care.  Surely this is the rational choice?

For more reading on irrational behaviour I'd recommend Dan Ariely found in all good bookstores