Implicit Bias

   Implicit bias is something that is a part of human nature; it has been imbedded in our minds throughout history to help us make quick decisions in various situations. In simple terms implicit bias is our associations or our more subconscious first impressions of people. This can apply to anything really, but in this case we are referring specifically to biases that apply to things like race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, etc.. As mentioned earlier, implicit bias is a part of human nature, therefore it is normal for everyone to have these, but the important thing is to recognize these biases within oneself so that we can work to combat them and be more conscious about our impressions of people.

   Some of the ways we can work to combat these biases are through taking tests that are designed to help you identify where you might have a bias. As we now implicit biases are typically subconscious and if we do not know of a problem there is no way for us to address it. Once we discover the bias, the next step is to educate oneself against whatever the bias is to help retrain the brain to rely more on fact and less on perceptions. Lastly, probably the most effective tool for eliminating bias would be to spend time getting to know people in the demographics that you have a bias against. This will retrain associations from whatever the bias may have been to what you associate with that individual reducing the risk of stereotyping. 

   Learning about implicit bias is important for OT students and practitioners because we work with a variety of people across all demographics, and yet our profession is still lacking in a widely diverse workforce. With limited diversity in our workforce, our exposure to other cultures is often limited as well making us more susceptible to implicit bias. With a more diverse client population it is important to know how to combat and eliminate our implicit biases to give each client an individualized and maximal experience with their therapy, which can be difficult if we are stuck in a stereotyping mindset. My big take-away from learning about implicit bias is that it is retrainable but you will not know what needs to be retrained if you do not take the time to explore what biases you may have. As was mentioned in the podcast "A Lesson in Implicit Bias" mentions, even though we may consciously think that we are above stereotyping and that we know better, the truth is that implicit bias is far more imbedded than we think. We must actively work to end these implicit biases to give people of all demographics a blank slate when we meet them.