Why You Can't See Your Own Cognitive Dissonance

Lee lost a parking spot and concluded it was a coordinated conspiracy. Mario, Creek, and Lee examine agenticity—the habit of assigning intentional agency to random events—and why it kills your ability to actually solve problems. Using Michael Shermer, Karl Popper, and the Enneagram as a case study in self-deception, they show how maturity means knowing when something is just stuff that happens.Mario, Creek, and Lee start with Lee's parking spot—a perfect case study in how fast we generate agents and narratives. They examine agenticity, the cognitive pattern of assigning conscious intentional agency to events that may be entirely random, and connect it to locus of control: the difference between believing you control everything or nothing. Using Michael Shermer's work and Karl Popper's philosophy, they show why seeking simple certain answers feels good but costs curiosity. Yesterday's best explanation becomes today's less useful one, and that's not failure—that's how knowledge works. The crucial turn: applying agenticity to Enneagram work. When someone says "Why am I a Four?" or "My mother loved me too much, so now I'm a Two," they're using the Enneagram to stop thinking rather than start it. They attribute behavior to type instead of taking responsibility for change. The hosts connect this to Stockdale's paradox—surviving not through hope in rescue but by accepting circumstances and continuing to act skillfully. Closing challenge: notice when you say "the reason this happened was" and test whether that reason actually holds up.Chapters00:00 The Universe Conspired Against Lee's Parking Spot01:19 Agenticity: Why We See Intention Everywhere02:54 Locus of Control — Internal Agents and External Locusts07:55 Cheap Certainty and the Cost of Premature Answers22:42 Karl Popper's Provisional Knowledge — Yesterday's Good Explanation38:45 How Agenticity Breaks Enneagram WorkResources mentioned in this episodeThe Believing Brain: From Ghosts and Gods to Politics and Conspiracies---How We Construct Beliefs and Reinforce Them as Truths by Michael ShermerThe Myth of Sisyphus by Albert CamusLiving Beautifully: With Uncertainty and Change by Pema ChödrönComfortable with Uncertainty: 108 Teachings on Cultivating Fearlessness and Compassion by Pema ChödrönGood to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap...And Others Don't by Jim CollinsThe Logic of Scientific Discovery by Karl PopperConnect with us:Awareness to ActionMario Sikora: IG: @mariosikoraTikTok: @mariosikoraWeb: mariosikora.comPod: Enneagram in a MoviePod: The Awareness to Action EnneagramLee Fields:Web: enneagrammatic.comIG: @enneagrammaticSeth "Creek" Creekmore: IG: @_creekmorePod: Fathoms | An Enneagram PodcastPod: Delusional OptimismPod: The Awareness to Action EnneagramMentioned in this episode:Awareness to Action Podcast NetworkPodcast Network

In this episode of Thinking Well & Why podcast, Mario, Lee and Creek trace confirmation bias in the Enneagram and how pattern recognition becomes a filter that cherry-picks evidence and dismisses contradictions. When you learn the Enneagram, your brain trains itself to recognize a pattern, and that pattern instantly becomes a filter. The hosts examine why people who constantly reference their type are statistically more likely to be mistyped, and why putting your type in your Zoom name makes course-correction nearly impossible. It's not unethical to experience confirmation bias, but it is unethical to avoid trying to catch it, especially when working with clients. Holding the Enneagram loosely – not tightly – is the only ethical way to use it.RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODEThe Scout Mindset by Julia Gallif100 Foot WavesTravel is a Political Act by Rick StevesHow to Think Well, and Why: The Awareness to Action Guide to Clear Thinking by Mario Sikora (book)Connect with us:Awareness to ActionMario Sikora: IG: @mariosikoraTikTok: @mariosikoraWeb: mariosikora.comPod: Enneagram in a MoviePod: The Awareness to Action EnneagramLee Fields:Web: enneagrammatic.comIG: @enneagrammaticSeth "Creek" Creekmore: IG: @_creekmorePod: Fathoms | An Enneagram PodcastPod: Delusional OptimismPod: The Awareness to Action EnneagramMentioned in this episode:Awareness to Action Podcast NetworkPodcast Network

You're not being thoughtful when confirmation bias hits—you're being filtered. Mario, Creek, and Lee trace why the brain locks onto information that confirms what you already believe, how this wrecks your ability to see the same data differently than someone who disagrees with you, and why intellectual self-defense isn't about winning arguments. It's about surviving dinner without losing your family.Confirmation bias doesn't feel like bias; it feels like paying attention. Mario, Creek, and Lee map the progression: motivated reasoning (we reason toward what we want to believe), cognitive dissonance (the stress when evidence threatens our beliefs), and confirmation bias (the mechanism that resolves that stress by filtering what comes in). The brain is wired for pattern recognition—an evolutionary survival tool—but that same wiring misfires in complex modern information environments. The conversation moves from individual pattern-seeking to tribal information ecosystems: how we reinforce group-think by choosing preferred news sources, social media feeds, and communities that reflect back what we already believe. Three operational points surface: what we actively search for, how we interpret incoming information, and what we store away. A critical tension: in an age of information overflow, misinformation, propaganda, and artificial noise, how do people distinguish signal from truth without burning out? The hosts pivot toward intellectual self-defense not as argumentation or combat, but as a capacity for compassion—understanding how someone arrived at a conclusion you disagree with, and being able to function in society without assuming everyone is a threat. A mother choosing kindness in the grocery store faces a different cost-benefit analysis than a consultant advising business leaders.Chapters00:00 Peter Wasson and the Confirmation Machine03:00 Motivated Reasoning, Cognitive Dissonance, Confirmation Bias—The Progression05:32 Why Your Brain Hunts for Deer Tracks13:10 Tribal Information Ecosystems and Group Think27:20 Three Ways Confirmation Bias Operates36:43 From Self-Defense to Compassion—The Martial Arts ProgressionResources mentioned in this episodeThinking, Fast and Slow — Daniel Kahneman — Referenced for System 1 and System 2 thinking and the brain's metabolic shortcuts.How to Think Well, and Why: The Awareness to Action Guide to Clear Thinking — Mario Sikora — The official Awareness to Action framework referenced throughout the episode.Intellectual Self-Defense — Referenced by Mario as a resource on defending against misinformation, disinformation, and malformation.The Logic of Scientific Discovery — Karl Popper — Popper's work on falsification mentioned as an antidote to confirmation bias—asking what evidence would prove you wrong.Related resourcesAwareness to Action Podcast — The official AtA podcast exploring critical thinking, reasoning, and intellectual honesty in depth.awarenesstoaction.com — Official Awareness to Action website with resources, courses, and materials on clear thinking and reasoning.Mentioned in this episode:Awareness to Action Podcast NetworkPodcast Network

In this episode of Thinking Well & Why podcast, Mario, Lee and Creek examine cognitive dissonance and why the brain filters out uncomfortable truths. The brain protects your self-image by filtering it out and the hosts show how this breaks Enneagram work through mistyping, over-identification and using type as cover story instead of clarity. They discuss how they personally handle being wrong without the ego collapsing. Dissonance itself is neutral. Growth depends on whether you rationalize, investigate, or actually sit with it.RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODEMistakes Were Made (But Not by Me) by Carol Tavris and Elliot AronsonThe Prisoners of Hate by Aaron BeckLisa Feldman BarrettThinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel KahnemanSix Degrees of SeparationConnect with us:Awareness to ActionMario Sikora: IG: @mariosikoraTikTok: @mariosikoraWeb: mariosikora.comPod: Enneagram in a MoviePod: The Awareness to Action EnneagramLee Fields:Web: enneagrammatic.comIG: @enneagrammaticSeth "Creek" Creekmore: IG: @_creekmorePod: Fathoms | An Enneagram PodcastPod: Delusional OptimismPod: The Awareness to Action EnneagramMentioned in this episode:Awareness to Action Podcast NetworkPodcast Network

In this episode of Thinking Well & Why podcast, Mario, Lee and Creek examine motivated reasoning — the tendency to argue toward what we already believe rather than toward truth – by examining Robert Trivers' evolutionary biology of self-deception, Harry Frankfurt's “On Bullshit,” and why tribal loyalty makes us all motivated reasoners. They discuss how this shows up in Enneagram work. People hold type identifications for years, then resist changing their mind because admitting error threatens their identity. The answer isn't eliminating self-deception. It’s recognizing when it causes friction, seeking outside feedback, and practicing intellectual humility.RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODEThe Folly of Fools: The Logic of Deceit and Self-Deception in Human Life by Robert TriversOn Bullshit by Harry G. FrankfurtThinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel KahnemanHow to Think Well, and Why: The Awareness to Action Guide to Clear Thinking by Mario SikoraConnect with us:Awareness to ActionMario Sikora:IG: @mariosikoraTikTok: @mariosikoraWeb: mariosikora.comPod: Enneagram in a MoviePod: The Awareness to Action EnneagramLee Fields:Web: enneagrammatic.comIG: @enneagrammaticSeth "Creek" Creekmore:IG: @_creekmorePod: Fathoms | An Enneagram PodcastPod: Delusional OptimismPod: The Awareness to Action EnneagramMentioned in this episode:Awareness to Action Podcast NetworkPodcast Network

Most people own every tool in the box but reach for the same one every time. Mario, Creek, and Lee examine why confusing subjective experience with objective fact—especially in Enneagram spaces—undermines credibility and clear thinking. Match the right epistemic tool to the right question.Mario, Lee, and Creek start with Gary Klein's work on expert intuition in high-risk environments—firefighters, jet pilots—to separate mature intuition from guessing. They map epistemic categories: objective facts (true whether you believe them or not) versus subjective experience (valid for you, not universally). The reliability hierarchy runs from mathematics and logic at the top, through empiricism and observation, down to myth and tradition. Why do social sciences shift faster than physics? Because people and culture move faster than natural laws. The real problem: when Enneagram teachers deploy pseudoscience or treat metaphor as fact to legitimize the system, they wreck the model's credibility. Mario calls out revisionist history, sloppy claims about the Enneagram's origins, and using "other ways of knowing" to dodge rigorous evidence. The practical move: identify what kind of question you're actually facing (fact-based or emotion-based), separate opinion from fact claim, and learn to read your gut feeling without mistaking it for proof.Chapters00:00 Gary Klein on Expert Intuition03:05 Objective Facts vs. Subjective Experience09:58 Mathematics, Science, and Reliability22:32 Logic, Empiricism, and Other Objective Tools30:58 How Enneagram Spaces Privilege Feeling Over Thought50:17 How to Match Your Tools to Your QuestionResources mentioned in this episodeSources of Power — Gary Klein — Klein's landmark study of intuition and expertise in high-risk environments (firefighters, jet pilots), contrasting naive and mature expert intuition.Thinking, Fast and Slow — Daniel Kahneman — Cited in discussion of Klein and Kahneman's dialogue on intuition, reasoning, and cognitive biases; relevant to understanding mature versus immature intuition.How to Think Well, and Why: The Awareness to Action Guide to Clear Thinking — Mario Sikora — Mario's framework on epistemology, epistemic tools, and the application of clear thinking to life decisions and the Enneagram.Fathoms & Enneagram Podcast — Three-hour deep dive into the history of the Enneagram, referenced by Mario to support rigorous historical claims about the system's origins.HeartMath Institute — Organization cited by Enneagram teachers to make pseudoscientific claims about the heart's intelligence; Mario examines how such claims are made without proper evidence.Connect with us:Awareness to ActionMario Sikora:IG: @mariosikoraTikTok: @mariosikoraWeb: mariosikora.comPod: Enneagram in a MoviePod: The Awareness to Action EnneagramLee Fields:Web: enneagrammatic.comIG: @enneagrammaticSeth "Creek" Creekmore:IG: @_creekmorePod: Fathoms | An Enneagram PodcastPod: Delusional OptimismPod: The Awareness to Action EnneagramMentioned in this episode:Awareness to Action Podcast NetworkPodcast Network

In this episode of Thinking Well & Why podcast, Mario, Lee and Creek talk about other ways to make a decision and when to use each tool. They examine why you need logic for some questions and feelings for others—and what happens when you mix them up.RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODEDescartes' Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain by Antonio DamasioHow to Think Well, and Why: The Awareness to Action Guide to Clear Thinking by Mario SikoraThinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel KahnemanAlabama by John ColtraneThe Trolley Problem by Philippa Foot & Judith ThomsonConnect with us:Awareness to ActionMario Sikora:IG: @mariosikoraTikTok: @mariosikoraWeb: mariosikora.comPod: Enneagram in a MoviePod: The Awareness to Action EnneagramLee Fields:Web: enneagrammatic.comIG: @enneagrammaticSeth "Creek" Creekmore:IG: @_creekmorePod: Fathoms | An Enneagram PodcastPod: Delusional OptimismPod: The Awareness to Action EnneagramMentioned in this episode:Awareness to Action Podcast NetworkPodcast Network

Your brain runs on stories, mostly ones you don't consciously hear. In this episode of Thinking Well & Why podcast, Mario, Lee and Creek examine how the brain uses stories to predict and make meaning, often without awareness. They explore what storytelling buys us, what it costs us, and why learning to rewrite your narratives matters for actual thinking. Narratives are also important to the Enneagram, so the three hosts discuss how the Enneagram can be used as a reference tool to recognize habituated stories and how the Awareness to Action model helps identify and rewrite these patterns without getting trapped in type.“When we think about stories, I think it’s easy to kind of put it in this sort of metaphysical, mythological realm, but it is very much biological.” -Creek [03:25]“The storytelling is the shorthand for the meaning that we’re making of the things and what’s driving us to react to that.” -Lee [06:35]“Learning to tie clear thinking skills to the stories we tell makes them more useful, makes them more robust.” -Mario [19:03]TIMESTAMPS[00:11] Intro[00:39] We tell ourselves stories to live[03:25] Stories are biological, not just poetic[10:57] The types of stories we tell[15:13] Clear thinking are important to our stories[20:13] Context and consequence[30:36] How the Enneagram maps your hidden stories[39:16] Limitation can be generative[48:37] How to practice better storytellingRESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODERationalisation discussion on “The Big Chill"We Tell Ourselves Stories in Order to Live by Joan DidionMuhammad Ali and Sonny Liston: The Controversial Fight Behind Their Iconic Boxing PhotoThe Two Cultures by C.P. SnowOde To A Flower by Richard FeynmanDissect the Bird by John CraigiePlease Don't Tell Me Your Story by Mario SikoraQueen & David Bowie v. Vanilla IceThe Gap by Ira GlassConnect with us:Awareness to ActionMario Sikora:IG: @mariosikoraTikTok: @mariosikoraWeb: mariosikora.comPod: Enneagram in a MoviePod: The Awareness to Action EnneagramLee Fields:Web: enneagrammatic.comIG: @enneagrammaticSeth "Creek" Creekmore:IG: @_creekmorePod: Fathoms | An Enneagram PodcastPod: Delusional OptimismPod: The Awareness to Action EnneagramMentioned in this episode:Awareness to Action Podcast NetworkPodcast Network

In this episode of Thinking Well & Why podcast, Mario, Lee and Creek dig into Charles Darwin and the impact of his ideas, specifically to the ATA model and the Enneagram. They discuss Darwin’s actual mechanism – random mutation and natural selection – and why understanding how evolution works without intention or teleology reframes human nature entirely. Mario connects these ideas to his ATA framework and the three instinctual biases. Understanding these forces, rather than fighting them blindly, enables better choices and real compassion.“If you do not understand Darwin, you will not understand human nature.” -Mario [24:50]“When we think about the Enneagram, when we think about how we want to live our life, the Enneagram’s a tool for that… Staying curious is how you kind of keep up with evolution of thought when it comes to morality and ethics.” -Creek [33:36]“When you catch yourself running a familiar pattern or strategy, stop and ask, is this solving the real problem? Or is it solving one that disappeared a long time ago?” -Lee [44:13]TIMESTAMPS[00:13] Intro[01:06] Charles Darwin and his ideas[10:05] Evolution works at every level[15:17] Why we’re tying it with the Enneagram[18:09] How Darwin influenced the Instinctual Biases[25:19] Evolution ties to the concept of strategies[31:05] The evolution of ideas[39:10] A compassionate way to think about human nature[43:02] Practical takeawaysRESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODEThe Selfish Gene by Richard DawkinsOn the Origin of Species by Charles DarwinHarvard Magazine: James Watson and Edward O. Wilson: An Intellectual EntenteCharlie Rose: Watson and Wilson on Charles DarwinConnect with us:Awareness to ActionMario Sikora:IG: @mariosikoraTikTok: @mariosikoraWeb: mariosikora.comPod: Enneagram in a MoviePod: The Awareness to Action EnneagramLee Fields:Web: enneagrammatic.comIG: @enneagrammaticSeth "Creek" Creekmore:IG: @_creekmorePod: Fathoms | An Enneagram PodcastPod: Delusional OptimismPod: The Awareness to Action EnneagramMentioned in this episode:Awareness to Action Podcast NetworkPodcast Network

In this episode of Thinking Well & Why podcast, Mario, Lee and Creek talk about Karl Popper, a philosopher of science who had some of the seminal ideas in 20th century philosophy. Mario discusses Popper’s theories, such as The Falsifiability rule and growth of knowledge, how they influence the way he thinks about the Enneagram as well as link to the Awareness to Action approach.“For me, Popper’s ideas are at the heart of epistemology. For me, that’s the foundation, the bedrock for how we know what is true and what is not.” -Mario [06:12]“I have spent a lot of my life avoiding error – not that I’m alone in that – but turning making mistakes into happy accidents is a mindset shift, but a useful one where I can grow and adopt just more curiosity generally instead of defensiveness.” -Lee [20:04]“There would be multiple ways to experience this thing and kind of challenging my own narrative of ‘I’m going to fail and I suck at this.’ And turns out, I didn’t entirely suck at it, so trying to reorient of like ‘Hey brain, remember that you thought you’re going to suck and then you didn’t? Let’s reinsert that story into some other situations and see how that goes.’” -Creek [23:07]TIMESTAMPS[00:01] Intro[01:21] Who is Karl Popper[10:51] The Awareness to Action approach[15:27] Context always matters[18:59] Shifting mindsets with making errors[23:36] Learning to love to be wrong[29:20] Iteration in the face of friction[31:49] How it applies to the Enneagram[37:47] Practical work for everyday useRESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODEFalsifiability rule by Karl PopperThe Open Society and Its Enemies by Karl PopperPhilosophy and the Real World: An Introduction to Karl Popper by Bryan MageeConnect with us:Awareness to ActionMario Sikora:IG: @mariosikoraTikTok: @mariosikoraWeb: mariosikora.comPod: Enneagram in a MoviePod: The Awareness to Action EnneagramLee Fields:Web: enneagrammatic.comIG: @enneagrammaticSeth "Creek" Creekmore:IG: @_creekmorePod: Fathoms | An Enneagram PodcastPod: Delusional OptimismPod: The Awareness to Action EnneagramMentioned in this episode:Awareness to Action Podcast NetworkPodcast Network