"Scientific thinking favors humility over pride, doubt over certainty, and curiosity over closure. When we shift out of scientist mode, the rethinking cycle breaks down, giving way to an overconfidence cycle. If we're preaching, we can't see gaps in our knowledge: we believe we've already found the truth. Pride breeds conviction rather than doubt, which makes us prosecutors: we might be laser-focused on changing other people's minds, but ours is set in stone.
That launches us into "confirmation bias" and "desirability bias". We become politicians, ignoring or dismissing whatever doesn't win the favor of our constituents - our family, our bosses, or the high school classmates we're still trying to impress. We become so busy putting on a show that the truth gets relegated to a backstage seat. The resulting validation can make us arrogant.
[. . .] Research shows that when people are resistant to change, it helps to reinforce what will stay the same. Visions for change are more compelling when they include visions of continuity. Although our strategy might evolve, our identity will endure."
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