What is a mental scheme and why does it limit us?

The mental schema is formed through the learning we acquire through our own experience. This learning is not always correct, but we maintain it because this prevents us from the anxiety of facing the new.

A mental schema is a pattern of thinking that is ingrained in us, sometimes from childhood.. It corresponds both to a way of processing the information that reality gives us, and to the biases or tendencies with which we interpret the world and that will tend to reinforce our own schemas.

Also It would be valid to say that the mental schema is a set of beliefs central in our life and on the basis of which we organize our vision of reality. They are unconscious and are normally stable structures over time.

A mental schema explains, for example, why we might think that a patient and calm person is weak. Or why we can believe that someone who talks little is less intelligent or active than someone who talks a lot. Also allows us to understand the reason why prejudices are installed against certain human groupslike women, people with another skin color, foreigners, etc., and even about ourselves.

“Nothing deceives us like our own judgment”.

-Leonardo da Vinci-

The origin of a mental scheme

The concept of mental schema was mainly worked on by Jean Piaget, a Swiss researcher of great importance in the history of Psychology. According to his approach, Human beings are born with a kind of basic “processor” in our minds . Understands essential reflex behaviorsthat is, elementary functions that make a basic adaptation to the world possible.

Read Also: Differences between cortical and subcortical dementia

As the child grows, his brain functions develop, always depending on what the environment offers him. When he encounters something new, Piaget says, there is a shock. Resolve that conflict incorporating that new experience into what you already know or giving rise to new learning. This process involves two functions: assimilation and accommodation. It is in this accommodation process where the mental scheme originates or transforms.

It is understood easier with an example. The child learns that he pushes a door and it opens. Suddenly he comes across a sliding door. He will try to push it, with more and more force, but he sees that this door does not open. If he incorporates this into his prior knowledge, without further ado, he will create the doors of certain characteristics not opening. If someone teaches him the correct way to open it, he will learn something new; To the previous mental scheme, he will add a new one.

Mental schemes that evolve or not

Throughout life, mental schemas change., as new experiences and, therefore, new learning are accessed. However, this does not always happen, mainly because we can resist living new experiences or incorporating them into our schemas.

In front of the physical world there are laws that impose themselves on our beliefs. Things fall, due to the force of gravity, and it is basically impossible to deny it. On the other hand, in the field of subjective facts the matter is more complex.

It is possible, for example, that your mother gets scared and runs away every time she sees a poor person. The child uses this experience to form the idea that these types of people are dangerous..

Read Also: Trigger shot: what is it due to and how to act?

If this remains unchanged, that is, if it does not cross the barrier of simply perceiving an appearance, it is possible to cling to that mental scheme. The only evidence he needed as a child was his mother’s fear. And later he did not access a new experience in that situation.

Limited visions

The big problem with a mental scheme is that we take for granted many “truths” that are not truths.. This operates unconsciously, or automatically. We are not aware that we are filtering reality through the sieve offered by that scheme.

In fact, there is a strong resistance to abandoning these mental schemes. And there is because doubting what we perceive introduces a component of uncertainty. (anxiety) in our conscience: in many cases doubting a premise also implies doubting everything we have built on it. It is always more comfortable to cling to what is familiar, to what is already known. We cement our identity based on it and we are not willing to doubt what we think easily.

Mental schemes act/influence us in a silent way: are consistent with the whole. Thus, it is difficult for us to become aware of how they act and what their consequences are.

Sometimes, when we modify them and they are no longer coherent with the rest of the schemes, they can cause us unpleasant emotions derived from dissonance. Here we can also feel bad without knowing why.