by Olga Pavasovic, MD and Kent Johnson
The Technology of Love (TOL), developed by C.E. Hansen using systems theory, provides a holistic scientific approach to understanding human interaction. By extension we can use it as a tool for diagnosing and treating psychological issues related to the Dunning-Kruger Effect (D-K Effect); in general game theory modeling. This phenomenon occurs when individuals misjudge their competence, leading to overconfidence or underestimation of their abilities. Issues of Confidence vs Competence can be understood within the framework of TOL theory that emphasizes awareness through our natural senses and explores the role of love in human interactions and decision-making.
Dr. Olga Pavasovic, MD, and Kent Johnson explore TOL’s potential for medical-clinical applications from various perspectives.
Perspective of the Bible on the D-K Effect
The Biblical phrase “blessed in ignorance” or “poor in spirit” from the Sermon on the Mount promotes humility and self-awareness. This sentence, often attributed to the Bible, is one I heard repeatedly growing up. It was intended to encourage and motivate me to study, reflect, and work on myself. These words are part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, where he highlights the qualities of those who will inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.
The phrase “blessed in ignorance,” or more commonly “poor in spirit,” refers to those who recognize their weaknesses and limitations before God. It emphasizes the importance of humility and the awareness of our own ignorance—a sharp contrast, Dunning-Kruger Effect’s in contrast D-K has a tendency to foster ignorance and overconfidence. The effect demonstrates how ignoring our limitations can result in stagnation and a perpetuation of ignorance. There’s a fascinating interplay between “blessed in ignorance” and the illusory sense of superiority. While simplicity of thought can bring inner peace, when coupled with a lack of self-awareness, it can foster an inflated sense of one’s own abilities or knowledge. Recognizing our limitations is vital for spiritual growth, aligning with the core themes of TOL.
Scientific Perspective
TOL was developed by Charles Hansen as new science using systems theory. This process holistically integrates all natural sciences including math, physics, philosophy, and religion into single theory to define how love actually works socially in human interaction. Love also can have a powerful healing effect upon health and social order as we know from our own experiences.
Human interaction acts much like a dynamic scientific process control application. TOL utilizes a math-physics concepts with vectors where we define our actions in terms of energy-information activities with direction and intensity. This is a powerful scientific concept for modeling the Dunning-Kruger Effect. Such vectors are fostered and defined as Action Elements of Care, such as Attentiveness, Listening, and other attributes of the TOL theory.
In general, positive action vectors bring order to a system, reduce chaos, and in turn, can lower biological stress and promote healing. Negative action vectors represent chaos, system dis-order, and results in mental-physical-emotional stress contributing to chronic health issues if there is no intervention.
The tool approaches the problem in two parts as diagnostics and treatment. Both phases incorporate the vector concepts typical of dynamic scientific processes, and aided with a highbred “OODA” type decision making feedback loop.
1. Diagnostic Tool
The concept of a negative vector is used as a marker to define the degree of social dysfunction in the form of a chaos scale of increasing entropy. This an important feature underlying TOL’s scientific features. The negative action elements of care, which correspond to escalating priority of symptoms associated with stress and disorder, are as follows:
Threatening, Demeaning, Deceiving, Subjugating, Rejecting, Violating, Extracting, Constraining, Inflicting Injury, and Causing Destruction.
This framework is prioritized and allows us to identify key problem areas by observing negative behaviors. It becomes evident that in such a negative system state, little to no love is conveyed among individuals. This is where most problems start, aka “sin” in the world of religion.
2. Treatment Tool
The positive Vectors are known to have very powerful healing properties, and can be applied in optimal combinations as Ten Action Elements of Care. In religion, “do good things and forget it.” They are the positive vectors:
Attentiveness, Listening, Thanking, Encouraging, Praising, Comforting, Assisting, Sharing Contributing, Protection.
These actions are also prioritized in a scientific way designed to convey love with the “Intent to please!” This can apply to everything between ourselves, family, community, or a higher being. Hence the ability for “reflection” needed to understand the “reality” of our condition is all included necessary for treating Dunning-Kruger Effect is present. Following each action, there is an adapting feedback process as follows.
3. Decision Making – TOL’s RKRC Feedback Loop
TOL and human interaction is a dynamic process by nature. It must have a feedback loop, a moral compass by which can play an important role treating those affected with the Dunning-Kruger Effect. It is a four-step process using the Causal Actions of Love as:
Respect, Knowledge, Responsibility, Care (RKRC Loop action with feedback)
The C in the RKRC loop has twenty action elements to work with (paragraphs 2, 3 above). The RKRC loop is a high bread form of the popular OODA Loop of Observe, Orient , Decide, Act, with the added benefit of scientific choices of actions. No guessing like “ready, aim, fire!” But with actionable scientifically-determined consequences!
Conclusions
- The Technology of Love is a new science giving us tools, with a better understanding as to how love for one another and caring actually work in a practical sense to improve cognitive skills, better decision making, and enhance our lifestyles involving human interaction .
- We applied the principals of TOL to the Dunning-Kruger Effect. A problem not unusual for most of us, a mismatch between confidence vs competence (aka “getting in over our heads”). It is a cognitive bias that affects how individuals perceive their abilities and competencies in a particular domain. Fortunately, it is not classified as a mental illness or disorder.
- New information and guidance in this field are welcomed. TOL to be an excellent dynamic working model for therapists and life coaches to use within their clinics.
- An understanding of the TOL action vector systems approach combined with a unique decision-making feedback loop is useful to diagnosing and treating the Dunning-Kruger Effect.
- TOL’s holistic combination of sciences helps more fully understand the value system necessary to effectively implement beneficial adjustments in or personal and professional lives.
- Finally, a body, mind, and spirit approach promote self-awareness, humility, objectiveness, knowledge, attentiveness, and listening, etc. These key elements of the TOL theory can assist us recognizing one’s own limitations, biases, and areas of ignorance. This will provide encouragement leading a more accurate self-assessment, willingness to learn, and self-improvement.
