There are many barriers that may influence critical thinking. One barrier that influences my critical thinking is an over reliance on my personal feelings. When it comes to certain discussions, my personal feelings often get in the way. One example of a topic in which my feelings can be very strong is religion. Over the years I have met many believers as well as non- believers. There have been numerous situations where I have I felt disrespected when someone spoke about God in disbelief. I believe that by understanding that people come from different backgrounds, it will allow me to take it less personal when people express a difference in opinions.
Lack of relevant background information is another barrier. There are situations where I have had a certain opinion simply because it made sense to me. When things make sense to me, or if I believe that there is no chance that my way of thinking is wrong, I sometimes dismiss the idea of gathering proper background information. The lack of relevant background information can also be a result of person feelings. I should make it a point to do all of the appropriate research and not rely only on what makes sense to me. What makes sense to me may be wrong.
Family is another barrier that I often have to deal with. There are times when I feel that a decision will benefit me but I have to realize that I have more than myself to think about bout. Job choices, job locations and things that I choose to do on my spare time are all things that I never had to second guess before having a family. Now I examine all of my pros and cons before decision making because one wrong move can have a devastating effect on my family and my future.
