TITLE:
Motivated Reasoning and Its Applications to Life
AUTHORS:
Sophia Bai
KEYWORDS:
Motivated Reasoning, Human Behavior, Decision Making
JOURNAL NAME:
Psychology,
Vol.14 No.12,
December
22,
2023
ABSTRACT: People
form conclusions based on the information they consume. Sometimes, however,
these conclusions are formed on the basis of motivated reasoning, a type of
directional reasoning that occurs when people want to gather evidence to
support a desired conclusion. This behavior often leads to the formation and
reinforcement of one’s beliefs through the construction of a biased or false
narrative that stems primarily from a person’s desire to affirm themselves.
Cognisant effort in obtaining evidence and considering facts in an unbiased,
unmotivated manner is often necessary to prevent unconscious use of motivated
reasoning. With origins in psychology and economics, the theory of motivated
reasoning has branched out to encompass other fields, such as political science
and communication. This paper will provide several examples of motivated
reasoning across multiple disciplines, including politics, health, and
business, and examine the ways that directionally motivated reasoning can
impede on people’s ability to form unbiased opinions as well as address some potential consequences of pervasive motivated reasoning.