More on the dogma of choice
A while back I wrote about Barry Schwartz and his “Paradox of choice”. Sheena Iyengar now takes a multi-cultural view on this. In some comparative studies, she shows how the American dogma of choice, i.e. the belief that having many options is good, isn’t all it is cracked up to be. Not just abroad, but even in the US.
First she presents results about social context of choice, i.e. how the results of choosing can be different depending on if it is an individual choice or not. Then she explains difference in perceptions of what is actually a choice and what isn’t and then uses a very heart-wrenching example how far the belief in the choice dogma can affect people who have to make tough decisions.
I believe what we can learn from this that choice, just like everything else, can become a paralytic when it is turned into a dogma. When choice has an individual or collective purpose it can be catalyst.
