Mental Models

(Written by: Alexis Cupp)

   Today we learned about Mental Models, and how a prejudice deep inside  us can change our perception of different situations in our lives. These mental models can be positive or negative and it can cause us to act a certain way without us even thinking about it. We talked about how an underdeveloped or misconstrued mental model can cause us to be ineffective during community development. This week we are supposed to look at ourselves and find our own mental models, and find out how they effect us in different situations so that we can be more self aware of why we act the way we do.

    This idea of mental model has actually been on my mind for a long time, I first came to terms  with it during my Political Anthropology class this past school semester. We learned about Orientalism which is an idea developed by Edward Said that describes the  way that the West subconsciously looks through a filter that changes their perception of Eastern cultures, and  how this has led to a wrong idea of what eastern culture is like (think Aladdin and Indiana Jones). Ever since that class I have thought about how I view other cultures and how my perception changes my idea of what they are like. However it was not until today that I was able to think of not only how I can filter my perception of other cultures, but also how I have different mental models that effect situations in my daily life. I am inspired to look deeper into my life and see how these mental models effect my relationships with my friends, family and especially God. I hope this deeper understanding will not only make my relationships better but also that it will help me to have the right mindset to effectively solve the root causes of problems in a community.