Psychology of Actions: System 1, System 2, and the Process of Change for Personal Growth

Understanding how to navigate the dynamics of Automatic and Deliberate Thinking for Lasting Personal Development

Aug 22, 2024

In this article, I’m building upon the introduction of System 1 and System 2 that I shared in the previous article. I’ve linked that article here.

The System 1 and System 2 Thinking

I’m also linking other related articles here for you to check out.

Introduction

"Enough. Give up now. Listen to your muscles, screaming from the agony," a little voice in your head whispers.

You are in the gym, in the middle of an intense bench press set. You can feel the fatigue creeping in. And it seems so easy to just drop the bar and walk away.

That little voice whispering in your head is an automatic, reactive voice focused on self-preservation and comfort. That is your System 1 talking. And it's trying to pull you out of the discomfort to protect you from the strain.

But, something in the background of your mind is telling you—you haven’t reached your limit yet. You can push further. And as you battle through those next reps, that background voice comes to the surface—it’s your System 2 Thinking. It’s slower, deliberate, and it's reminding you of your goal: to build strength, to improve, to overcome this very moment of challenge.

System 2 weighs the long-term benefits over the short-term pain and makes the conscious choice to override your System 1 Thinking. This struggle between these two systems plays out with every rep you lift.

A note: Referring to System 1 and System 2 as subjects is just for easy understanding. In Psychology Jargon, they might be described as a “Set of cognitive activities or processes occurring within our brains.” But, if I start using that, I might quickly lose you as a reader. Let’s move on.

How System 2 Overrides System 1

Whenever we are awake, both System 1 and System 2 are active. System 1, as usual, is in its automatic mode. It just keeps making suggestions based on impressions, intuitions, and feelings. But, when System 1 encounters difficulty, System 2, generally in low-effort mode, mobilizes to step in and save the day. System 2 will also step in when suggestions or answers provided by System 1 don't make sense. In this case, System 2 will override System 1. Let's see how this typically plays out with a framework:

Detection of Conflict: System 2 kicks in when there is a conflict between the intuitive response generated by System 1 and the task at hand. For instance, if System 1 suggests a quick answer that doesn't seem quite right, System 2 could step in to evaluate the situation more carefully.
Deliberation and Analysis: System 2 analyzes the situation, considers alternatives, and applies logical reasoning. Although this process requires more cognitive resources and time, it allows for a more accurate and well-considered response.
Override of Automatic Response: Once System 2 reaches a conclusion, it can override the initial response suggested by System 1. This can happen in scenarios like resisting a habitual but unhealthy behavior or choosing a more complex solution over a simpler, instinctual one.

Repetition and Habit Formation: If System 2 consistently overrides System 1 in similar situations, over time, these new responses would become habitual. The more a person practices using System 2 to make decisions, the more likely it is that these responses will eventually be handled by System 1, making the new behavior automatic. This is how deliberate actions can become instinctual after a while.

For instance, consider you are learning to play a musical instrument. Initially, System 2 is heavily involved in reading notes, coordinating hand movements, and remembering the sequence of actions. With practice, these actions become automatic, handled by System 1, and the musician can play without conscious effort.

Now that we have an understanding of how System 2 can override System 1, let’s stretch the understanding of the foundational elements of System 1.

Identity, Mindset, Beliefs… Foundations of System 1

Let's freeze this moment for a bit. Now, how your System 1 operates at this moment is a reflection of a lot of things. It reflects what kind of Identity you have right now. It also reflects your current mindset. It also reflects what beliefs you have developed till this point in your life. It also reflects your emotional intelligence, your convictions, your... insert any personal development topic here. You do get the idea.

System 1 is largely shaped by Innate Biological, Cognitive, and Non-Cognitive foundational elements because it operates based on the patterns, heuristics, and biases deeply embedded in our minds via these elements. They inform the automatic, intuitive responses that characterize System 1 thinking, guiding how we interpret information and react to situations.

I’m focusing on non-cognitive aspects here because they are the ones that can be developed throughout life to produce value.

Let’s expand a bit on some of the Non Cognitive foundational elements of System 1 to understand how they influence the automatice response generated by System 1.

Your Identity serves as a core foundation for System 1. It’s the underlying software that dictates how you automatically respond to situations. Think of it as the sum total of who you believe you are—your roles, labels, and self-concept. For instance, if you see yourself as a problem-solver, your System 1 will instinctively push you to tackle challenges head-on without a second thought. Your actions are almost pre-programmed by this self-concept.

Mindset is another crucial element that shapes System 1 responses. A growth mindset primes you to see challenges as opportunities, so when you face an obstacle, System 1 might automatically trigger perseverance rather than resignation. On the other hand, a fixed mindset might lead you to shy away from difficulties, reflecting an automatic retreat.

Beliefs act like core algorithms that govern your immediate reactions. These are deeply ingrained assumptions or truths that you’ve absorbed over time. If you believe that "hard work pays off," your System 1 might automatically kick into high gear when faced with a demanding task, driving you to put in extra effort. On the flip side, limiting beliefs, such as "I'm not good enough," can cause System 1 to trigger avoidance or anxiety without conscious deliberation.

Lastly, let’s consider your Convictions—those deeply held principles that guide your behavior. Once internalized, convictions become a natural part of System 1’s programming. For instance, if honesty is a core value, your System 1 will likely steer you away from situations that might compromise your integrity, often without you even realizing it. Similarly, other personal development elements like resilience, gratitude, and self-discipline become embedded in your automatic responses through repeated practice and reinforcement.

While the foundational elements of our System 1 responses are built over time, they aren’t immune to change. However, the interplay between System 1 and System 2 shifts as we grow older, influencing how and when change occurs.

System 1 and System 2 as we Age

We are not born with a premade mental model that tells us how the world works. But, we are born with the basic mechanisms of System 1 and the potential for developing System 2.

Newborns and Infants: As newborns, we rely on learned patterns from our environment and form instinctive responses. For instance, infants quickly learn to recognize faces, respond to caregivers, and react to stimuli, all of which are hints of early System 1 functioning. These automatic processes continue to develop and become more sophisticated as the child grows.

Childhood and Adolescence: In early childhood, System 2 is pretty active because, as children, we are continuously learning and adapting to our environments. Our brains are highly plastic. And we are constantly forming new neural connections. Young children begin to engage in System 2 thinking as they start learning language, problem-solving, and reasoning skills. This system continues to develop through childhood and adolescence, reaching its peak in adulthood.

Adulthood and Beyond: As we age into our 30s and beyond, we rely more on System 1 because we already have a well-established model of the world. This model includes patterns, heuristics, and automatic responses that reduce the need for constant engagement of System 2. The brain becomes more efficient, defaulting to System 1 to conserve cognitive resources for routine tasks. This shift doesn't imply that System 2 becomes less effective, but rather that it is reserved for novel or complex situations that fall outside the scope of System 1's capabilities.

Let’s understand this with the help of a few graphs:

System 1, being fast, automatic, and reliant on habits and intuition, covers more and more cases as we age. This is because it relies on patterns, experiences, and heuristics that we accumulate over time.

System 2, being slower, more deliberate, and effortful, generally declines with age. This decline happens because System 2 requires working memory, attention, and the ability to analyze complex problems, all of which tend to diminish as cognitive abilities weaken with age. Research shows that older adults may find it harder to engage in deep reasoning or switch from habitual (System 1) responses to more deliberate (System 2) processes.

As cognitive resources like memory and attention become limited, older adults might default more frequently to System 1 thinking, relying on intuitive responses. They may engage System 2 less often unless the situation demands it. And, this also means that ingrained habits and beliefs can become obstacles to change. Understanding this shift is crucial, as it helps us recognize when to consciously engage System 2 to challenge and update the foundational elements—Identity, Mindset, Beliefs and others—of System 1.

The Process of Change for Personal Development

Change doesn’t happen in an instant; it’s a slow and deliberate process, much like turning a massive ship around in the ocean. It begins with a subtle awareness that something isn’t right, a whisper in your mind telling you that you could be more, do more, or live differently. But how do you actually harness this awareness and initiate change? It all starts with understanding the mechanics behind it.

Change, especially when it involves deeply ingrained aspects of our identity, mindset, or beliefs, is a process that begins with recognition and is driven by deliberate action and reinforcement. This process is where System 2 plays a critical role.

Recognition of the Need for Change: The first step in the process of change is recognizing that something in our automatic responses—governed by System 1—is not serving us well. This might be a mindset that limits our growth, a belief that holds us back, or an aspect of our identity that no longer aligns with who we want to be. This recognition often comes from moments of discomfort or realization, where System 2 steps in to evaluate and question the status quo.

Evaluation of how the Change can happen: Once the need for change is recognized, the next step is evaluation. This phase is where you pause and consider the nature of the change you're about to embark on. During evaluation, you ask yourself key questions: What exact change do I want? What will it take to achieve this change? What challenges might arise?
Deliberate Engagement of System 2: Once the need for change is recognized and the path to change evaluated, System 2 must be deliberately engaged to challenge the automatic processes of System 1. This involves conscious reflection, critical thinking, and the creation of new patterns of thought and behavior. System 2 allows us to override the immediate, habitual responses of System 1 by introducing new, carefully considered alternatives.
Repetition and Reinforcement: Change doesn’t happen overnight. It requires consistent repetition and reinforcement of new behaviors, thoughts, and beliefs. As System 2 repeatedly engages in these new practices, the brain begins to form new neural pathways, gradually turning these deliberate actions into automatic responses. Over time, what starts as a conscious effort by System 2 becomes a new default mode for System 1.

For the foundational elements of System 1, I’ll explore how this process can induce change in future articles.

Why It Seems So Hard To Change

You recognized the need for change. You evaluated the path for change. You took deliberate actions to enact the change. And you repeated those deliberate actions to make the change permanent. But still, you find yourself slipping on occasion. Why does it happen?

The thing is, sustaining change requires ongoing awareness and reflection. System 2 needs to stay vigilant, periodically assessing the effectiveness of the new patterns and making adjustments as needed to prevent falling back into old habits. If you let the guard down, what you will get will be partial change or maybe even no change at all. The old neural connections of System 1 can be stubborn enough to resist change for a long time.

Look at it this way. You have unconsciously been programming and training your System 1 for so long (more like years) that it could take weeks of conscious efforts by System 2 even to scratch the surface. So buckle up because although change might seem moderately easy, it won't be quick.

Concluding Thoughts

Understanding the interplay between System 1 and System 2 is crucial in taking control of your life. In this article, I’ve explored how System 2 can override System 1, reprogramming our instincts and habits when necessary. I also explored the foundational elements that influence System 1. I delved into how the balance between these two systems shifts towards System 1 as we age, affecting our approach to challenges and new circumstances. Lastly, I explored what the process of Change would look like.

Ultimately, the path to self-improvement lies in our ability to recognize when automatic responses no longer serve us and to engage our System 2 to rewrite those patterns. As you reflect on your own journey, consider how you can harness the power of both systems to create lasting, positive change.

What’s Next?

In the last thurday’s article, I said that I would explore a framework to recognize which among System 1 and System 2 is in play. And unless something else more compelling pops up, I intend to share my thoughts on that in the next article.

That is all for this week. If you like this article, please do share it. And, if you have not subscribed yet, please do and join us on this fascinating journey of intentional change.

Stay genuine! Stay authentic!

Nik Pathran

PS: I appreciate you reading. Thanks to the new subscribers!