October 11 2021 0Comment
Johannesburg Private Investigators | D&K Management Consultants

The Dunning-Kruger Effect Explained

The Dunning-Kruger Effect is a cognitive effect whereby people who are less-capable or incompetent are seemingly blind to their own incompetence. People suffering from the Dunning-Kruger Effect may put themselves forward as being competent and able to perform certain tasks and/or roles, believing that they are in fact competent in these domains. In reality, however, they are unable to fulfil the requirements of these roles and/or tasks.

According to an article by Kendra Chetty published on Verywell Mind the Dunning-Kruger Effect leads to:

  • Inappropriate confidence in abilities
  • Failure to recognise the skills and expertise of other people
  • A failure to identify their own mistakes and shortcomings
  • Ignorance to own inability leads to a reluctance or resistance to growth as they believe that they are competent and thus not in need of training and/or skill development in the area
  • False belief in own expertise, which can lead to dangerous decision making, especially with regards to major decisions needing to be made in the workplace

Everyone is susceptible to this phenomenon and may experience it in varying degrees throughout a lifetime.

Incompetence in one area does not mean incompetence in another. Similarly, competence in one area does not mean in in another – those suffering from this effect may be highly skilled in one domain but carry the false belief that that expertise automatically means they are experts in other, unrelated areas. The Dunning-Kruger Effect does NOT mean that the person suffering from it has a low IQ.

While the Dunning-Kruger Effect may be detrimental in life and work there are ways to identify it and overcome it. Chetty explains it as follows; “While we are all prone to experiencing the Dunning-Kruger Effect, learning more about how the mind works and the mistakes we are all susceptible to might be one step toward correcting such patterns.”

Read the full Verywell Mind Article here: https://www.verywellmind.com/an-overview-of-the-dunning-kruger-effect-4160740