The ABC cognitive style is one that will seem very familiar to
most westerners and many non-westerners. This is, in
part, because the West has largely adopted ABC thinking as a cultural ideal. This is not to say that ABC
thinking is uniquely (or even particularly) “Western,” however.
ABC thinking is found in many cultures, and just because the West
idealizes ABC cognition does not mean it is necessarily good
at it.
In ABC thinking, the strongest priority is on the abstract and
analytic, which allows for a great amount of reflection over both the B and C elements of cognition.
Generally, the attitude of ABC thinkers is that C is important, but
unreliable as a source of truth. I may have an intuition that there
is danger, but I may also have indigestion, and without reflection
(A), I have difficulty deciding which is which. B, by contrast, is
much more reliable, but my perceptions can deceive me, and habits
come in both good and bad types. In order to distinguish accurate
from inaccurate perceptions, and good from bad habits, I need to
reflect and analyze what I am perceiving or doing.
As a result of this attitude, ABC cultures tend to place a strong
emphasis on the rational. What is reliable, they argue, is what can
be demonstrated through reason to be true. This is not to say that
tradition, habit, emotions, and social connections are
unimportant—simply that they should be moderated through reflection
and careful consideration which is, by nature, abstract (A). In some
cultures, however, this can lead to a suspicion to aspects of life
that are not entirely dictated by reason. In such cases, it is the C
aspect of cognition that tends to suffer most, as it is primarily
reactive and, as such, not subject to much reason. This is one reason
why, in American culture, reason is often seen as opposed to emotion
(A vs C) instead of complimentary to it (A&C together). This is
an incorrect perception, but one that has become somewhat popularized
in Western culture. ABC cognitive styles, however, do not require this kind of
“reason vs emotion” approach.
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