Are We Wired to Learn and Develop?

In my continuing examination of the things that hold us back from seeking the learning and change made possible through coaching, I am greeted by two concepts that help to explain our resistance. Psychologists claim that we all maintain "positive illusions" regarding our abilities that help us to boldly face the myriad challenges of life with optimism. However, this same phenomenon can also make us irrationally overconfident, paradoxically causing us to underestimate our chances of failure and our need to learn and grow (McKenna, 1993; Kruger, 1999).

Another characteristic common to all is defensiveness, which is a natural response to danger that works initially and unavoidably to protect us from harm. The most primal regions of our brain are wired to snap to defend us whenever we perceive a threat...even if that threat is the questioning of our current, perhaps faulty and destructive assumptions about what we know or don't know or a threat to our self-esteem and reputation (Holmer, 2013).

The path of learning and development holds universal promise for everyone that aspires to be and do better. How is it that we are "wired" to avoid inquiry; the very beginning of wisdom? What have we yet to learn collectively that will enable us to more readily overcome our natural aversion to learning?