Decision Under Stress Photo

Source Lucky Gunner | Repost IRGO 9/10/21

This article is a follow up to last week. There are many mental processes your brain will go through during a stressful act of self defense. Let’s talk about the “Decide” step…

Jim Anthony – IRGO Founder

In stressful decision making, one of the most important assets we have for taking quick and effective action is prior planning. There are several ways to stock our brains with these plans, including training and experience both personally or vicariously through watching others accomplish the desired task. One method in particular that we can use daily is known as mental simulation.

Mental simulation is creating a scenario, deciding a goal, and then mentally running through various possible decisions. We then use our knowledge and expertise to predict the outcomes of each decision to see if they lead to the desired goal. An example is preparing to ask your boss for a raise. You’ll plan what you want to say, use your knowledge of your boss’s personality, and then think of which approach is most likely to succeed in the goal of getting the desired raise.

Before we dive into the benefits of mental simulation, let’s look at a couple of potential downsides. If you lack experience in the arena you are simulating, your simulations may not be accurate. The majority of Americans are not used to violent conflict. They have not been in a fist fight as an adult, they’ve never been the victim of violent crime, and they have had limited first-hand exposure to violent criminals.

Read Full Article – Lucky Gunner by Spencer Blue

IRGO Website/Blog Team