By: Faith A. Gold
April 26, 2023
Updated: 10/14/2023
Today’s piece will focus on the idea of competence as it relates to human perception & establishing credibility/authority.
Competence & Trust in Human Perception
In an earlier post, “Impacts of our Body Language,” we discussed how the role of competence comes into play when we are seeking expertise in some area.
For example, we wouldn’t go ask a Doctor to bake a birthday cake for 1,000 people. Even if we offer just compensation for the cake! The Doctor is not a baker! A baker is 'competent' and has expertise in baking – not the Doctor (at least in this example).
My point: we would seek out a baker before we'd trust and seek out a Doctor to bake something for us (especially a professional cake).
Another Illustration
Think of a time when you went to go meet a new Doctor/Physician.
When we go to meet a new physician…we presume the doctor is competent based off the fact the doctor completed schooling or the required educational background that is needed for any other doctor in the field to practice…
That's one way we give people our trust, and thereby, we give the person credibility and competence -- based off an understanding or judgment. In this case, credibility and competence was based on the physician's completed education...which usually comes in the form of a big diploma from a fancy school hanging in the doctors office.
Otherwise, how else are we then persuaded to give credibility and authority to others?
-- Through word of mouth perhaps?
Hopefully you see the point I'm trying to make.
Appearances
Ugh, I know.
Well, unfortunately (in my opinion it's unfortunate), much of the trust & credibility humans give to others--including strangers is based off of how one appears-- what the person looks like. This includes what we are wearing, our faces, our hair - is it messy? Even down to where we place and have our hands.
I mean, imagine going to meet an attorney for the first time & the guy is wearing torn up PJ’s, missing his front teeth, dirty shoes, stains, etc. You going to feel confident to trust this person? I know the question is subjective and different for everyone- but hope it illustrated my point.
So, yeah, sounds a bit weird, but, it is very much the idea of what we look like rather than the real us (on the inside) that is what hooks most people into trusting others and believe someone holds credibility and authority they may not actually have.
It's all about perception!
Cultural Bias & Perception
It could all come down to cultural bias as well. Would you find it weird going into a tattoo parlor to get a tattoo only to find the tattoo artist has no tattoos herself? I would find it a little weird. Perhaps it is a new tattoo artist...
My point is to illustrate how we subconsciously and consciously judge & assess one’s credibility and expertise in a certain field based on some of these factors in this article (like culture and appearance).
Why seek to establish competence & credibility?
Big picture: TRUST!
People seek to establish authority and credibility, not only as a way of power over others, but as a trust mechanism.
Think about it, when you trust someone, you typically believe they will get whatever the task is, completed, and done properly. We give trust to people we find credible, which may seem a little obvious.
Credibility can come from time, doing something for decades, so, by life experience, sometimes our credibility (individually) naturally grows.
When we can analyze these ways in which we subconsciously act and make decisions, then we can be more attuned to reprogramming or changing our subconscious -- a topic for another time.
As discussed earlier, here, credibility comes (in part) from the perceived competence in one's ability to perform or work - you wouldn't go to an accountant for a surgical procedure...right? I hope not.
So, it is interesting to see humans perception and how we can assign trust and credibility based on different factors, some we never consciously realize...or some that have nothing to do with one's true character.
Brief Conclusion on Our Minds & Assigning Credibility/Authority
To briefly conclude, I believe that our subconscious minds can determine the level of credibility and thus authority we appoint and give a person – whether it is right or wrong.
With this knowledge at your disposal, will you do make any changes in how you perceive people, places, or things in your life?
This is not to say that all people who emulate/show authority and/or credibility are all knowing, all powerful, and all good. I hope you enjoyed this piece.
Positivity always,
-- Faith
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