Implicit Bias

What is implicit bias? In my own terms I think of it as your personal experiences/attitude about things that are unknowingly influenced on our own choices and comprehensiveness on different aspects of life. With knowing what it is, do you think you have any implicit biases? Well, I think that everyone does in their own way, not even knowing it because it is an unconscious act. Maybe after recognition and reflection you then would figure out that you do. Bias has such a negative connotation to it, but these biases don’t just mean race, gender, or political standpoints. They could mean the way you feel about a simple tattoo that someone has, or their lifestyle choices. So, why is it important for students and OT practitioners to learn about this? Well, if you know and have reflected on what implicit biases that you have, or even just acknowledge that you have some, you can then decide how you will act in a certain situation with a client if they do or think a certain way that you may feel differently about.   

Not only that, but human communication is the basis of humanity, and if we are not all trying to help one another, or for the very least communicating with one another then why are we here? What is our purpose? It is about making connections and feeding off what we already know but most importantly what we learn on top of that. Being a consistent life-long learner invites a sense of diversity and a respect for the ever evolving and shifting of cultures. During a podcast interview with Dr. Lancaster she spoke about putting our implicit biases aside and unconscious assumptions on populations because if we don’t do that it could impact a client clinically and the opportunity for them to get the best and most efficient care possible. Dr Lancaster also said something that stood out to me which was, “Inclusion is not a favor, it is just the right thing to do all of the time.” We in OT, it is our duty to always make an effort to include others and the many walks of life. This does not mean we have to accept in their part, but it does mean that we should try to understand them, and use our empathetic, therapeutic self. This also means to have more cultural humility which in turn makes for a more client centered approach.  The first step to understanding your client is with asking the right open-ended questions, but more importantly understanding the importance of actively being present with your client or anybody. I learned this from a brief article that I read by Debbie Hall called “The Power of Presence.” Even in the times that you don’t have all of the right words to say, the value of being there for someone speaks volumes and it might seem like you are not doing anything, but in actuality, sometimes people just need a listening ear and a shoulder to lean on.

How can we reduce the impact of our biases? How do we even recognize that we have them? Because we all do, whether you know it or not. Well, the first thing you could do is understand what implicit biases are and recognize that you may have some. Second, if you want to know what some of them are then you could go to a website called Project Implicit. There is a test you can take, it is free, and it gives you insight on what you may have implicit biases on with certain populations or groups. Lastly, once you have examined and reflected on those biases you could look up a 7-day implicit bias cleanse to help with personal reflection. This is also free. These are just a few things to help widen our lenses and broaden our minds. 

My biggest take away from all of this is the fact that I discovered I have my own implicit biases that I never knew about. I have always tried to make inclusion such an important thing because I know what it feels like to be left out or see the effects of someone being left out or not understood. I too am going to take the steps to reduce my own implicit biases so that I can in turn become an outstanding OT practitioner for the sake of my future clients.