Create distance from daily life
OVERVIEW
If serious issues are tackled in a literal, explicit manner, it can come off as confrontational. This explicit approach has been proven by research to be less effective than a subtler, implicit approach.
Instead of tackling an issue in an explicit way, one should create distance from everyday life to maintain psychological safety.
Dos and Don’ts
RECOMMENDATIONS 1/2
Use metaphors and narratives to put things in a third-person perspective, rather than directly criticizing behavior
Significance
- If one is aware that someone else is trying to change their behavior, it is likely to make them feel threatened
- By making a game in which the student plays a role or observes a character, there is a sense of psychological safety which makes the student more receptive to having their attitudes shift subconsciously
RECOMMENDATIONS 2/2
Where possible, make educational experiences less serious and “work-related” by embedding make-believe elements
Significance
- This create a learning environment that primarily seems fun and whimsical rather than serious and academic, making students more likely to want to come back and revisit the experience
- This makes the experience feel less threatening and invasive, thus, making it less likely to trigger psychological aversion to change
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