System 1 and System 2 -- Why the F@@K did I say that?

The Two Systems of Thinking

Noted psychologist and Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman, author of the seminal work Thinking, Fast and Slow, describes two basic systems that guide our behaviors and thoughts. Dr. Kahneman calls these System 1 and System 2.

He summarizes their functions as follows:

• System 1 operates automatically and quickly, with little or no effort and no sense of voluntary control.

• System 2 allocates attention to the effortful mental activities that demand it, including complex computations. The operations of System 2 are often associated with the subjective experience of agency, choice, and concentration.

  
  

When the "Gut" Gets It Wrong: The Pitfalls of System 1

System 1 is the automatic response to external (or even internal) stimuli. At times, we might become angry, fearful, or anxious and not be sure why.

This automatic processing can lead to maladaptive behaviors, such as depression, panic, procrastination, avoidance, or interpersonal conflict. Briefly, your "gut" reaction is most often wrong because it is reacting to past patterns rather than present reality.

A Case Study in Automatic Reactivity

Consider this example: A married man gets tense and anxious when his wife asks him a simple question.

1. The Trigger: The question itself is benign.

2. The System 1 Reaction: His System 1 reacts automatically in a fearful way, processing the input as if she were attacking or challenging him.

3. The Output: He becomes blank, avoidant, irritable, or oppositional—whatever his System 1 is prone to produce.

   
   

These are manifestations of how our System 1 processes inputs, sending signals through the neuronal network to the brain and nervous system, resulting in automatic outputs that are often unproductive.

Psychotherapy: Making the Unconscious Conscious

We are often aware of the body state (anxiety, tension) but, most of the time, we are not aware of the underlying cause. It is what psychoanalysts call the unconscious.

The object of psychotherapy is to make these System 1 processes less automatic. The goal is to give agency to System 2 to:

• Analyze the reactions.

• Understand the root causes.

• Reduce their potency.

  
  

By engaging System 2, we allow for more measured and mature cognitive processes that lead to more adaptive behaviors. Succinctly, the goal is making the unconscious conscious.