Personal bias suppression
Personal bias suppression (also called cultural filter suppression) is a decrease in the personal or cultural biases, preferences, and associations a person knowingly or unknowingly filters and interprets their perception of the world through. [1]
Analyzing one's beliefs, preferences, or associations while experiencing personal bias suppression can lead to new perspectives that one could not reach while sober. The suppression of this innate tendency often induces the realization that certain aspects of a person's personality, worldview and culture are not reflective of objective truths about reality, but are in fact subjective or even delusional opinions. [1] This realization often leads to or accompanies deep states of insight and critical introspection that can create significant alterations in a person's perspective that last anywhere from days, weeks, months, or even years after the experience itself.
Personal bias suppression is often accompanied by other coinciding effects such as conceptual thinking, analysis enhancement, and especially ego death. It is most commonly induced under the influence of heavy dosages of hallucinogens such as dissociatives and psychedelics. However, it can also occur to a much lesser extent under the influence of very heavy dosages of entactogens and cannabinoids.
Analysis
Established personal bias heavily influences how human beings act. People's decisions and opinions seem to be at least partially based upon a consistent and unconscious tendency to notice and assign significance to observations that confirm existing beliefs whilst filtering out and rationalizing observations that do not confirm pre-existing beliefs. This is a well-established concept within scientific literature known as confirmation bias. [2] [3] [4] [5] Confirmation bias affects everyone's thoughts to a varying degree, but its effects are significantly stronger in the case of emotionally charged issues and deeply entrenched cultural beliefs.
Related Reports
References
- [1][2] Horváth, L., Szummer, C., & Szabo, A. (2018). Weak phantasy and visionary phantasy: the phenomenological significance of altered states of consciousness. Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences, 17(1), 117-129. | https://doi.org/10.1007/s11097-016-9497-4
- Nickerson, R. S. (1998). Confirmation bias: A ubiquitous phenomenon in many guises. Review of general psychology, 2(2), 175. | https://doi.org/10.1037%2F1089-2680.2.2.175
- Jonas, E., Schulz-Hardt, S., Frey, D., & Thelen, N. (2001). Confirmation bias in sequential information search after preliminary decisions: an expansion of dissonance theoretical research on selective exposure to information. Journal of personality and social psychology, 80(4), 557. | https://doi.org/10.1037%2F0022-3514.80.4.557
- Mynatt, C. R., Doherty, M. E., & Tweney, R. D. (1977). Confirmation bias in a simulated research environment: An experimental study of scientific inference. The quarterly journal of experimental psychology, 29(1), 85-95. | https://doi.org/10.1080%2F00335557743000053
- Klayman, J. (1995). Varieties of confirmation bias. Psychology of learning and motivation, 32, 385-418. | https://doi.org/10.1016%2FS0079-7421%2808%2960315-1