I quite enjoyed this article, and its academic perspective, Tom! Absolutely, our brain doesn't simply delete files. Where I diverge is in how unlearning is used in applied contexts.
In my personal experience of mapping and changing processes, training people on new processes and systems that cause such deep change even on departmental restructuring level, yes people do unlearn. They don't erase information, they learn new functions, new tools that completely adjust their thought process! It's not about vanishing memories - if only! Everyone who has worked with such implementations (legacy workflows, restructuring processes and systems, creating behavioural change to comply with regulations, etc.) has experienced this form of change, not 100%, but greatly.
Even with therapy (13 years of therapy for me), people do stop using old mental models, habits, and identities (shame responses, trauma scripts, self-protective behaviours that once kept them safe) not because the memory vanishes (and yes sometimes that is a wishful thinking) but because it loses authority. Trauma response/ reprocessing is not a foreign concept to neuroscience either.
So, yes, in theory, unlearning is not a biological deletion. In practice, unlearning is about weakening our old patterns so they stop governing our behaviour and defining our realities. I’ve seen that happen repeatedly in therapy and organisational change.
The brain also defaults to what is familiar (and assumes it is 'safe'). It is making predictions based on previous patterns or learnings, and will also prioritise what takes the least amount of energy UNLESS specifically trained not to do this in a particular circumstance. Labeling up front what the "outdated" pathway can be helpful. The ideas for embedding this into L&D programmes are great suggestions. This shows up in our daily lives too. Can you (the broad "you", not just you Tom :) ) recognise for yourself where your outdated scripts are showing up? Grocery store, morning routine, parenting, etc. And are there learnings to be updated? I would encourage people to try this for themselves before implementing for an organisation or group. It's how the brain works!
Nice. Memory doesn't have an eraser, more like a highlighter. New learning competes with old, it doesn't replace it.
I quite enjoyed this article, and its academic perspective, Tom! Absolutely, our brain doesn't simply delete files. Where I diverge is in how unlearning is used in applied contexts.
In my personal experience of mapping and changing processes, training people on new processes and systems that cause such deep change even on departmental restructuring level, yes people do unlearn. They don't erase information, they learn new functions, new tools that completely adjust their thought process! It's not about vanishing memories - if only! Everyone who has worked with such implementations (legacy workflows, restructuring processes and systems, creating behavioural change to comply with regulations, etc.) has experienced this form of change, not 100%, but greatly.
Even with therapy (13 years of therapy for me), people do stop using old mental models, habits, and identities (shame responses, trauma scripts, self-protective behaviours that once kept them safe) not because the memory vanishes (and yes sometimes that is a wishful thinking) but because it loses authority. Trauma response/ reprocessing is not a foreign concept to neuroscience either.
So, yes, in theory, unlearning is not a biological deletion. In practice, unlearning is about weakening our old patterns so they stop governing our behaviour and defining our realities. I’ve seen that happen repeatedly in therapy and organisational change.
The brain also defaults to what is familiar (and assumes it is 'safe'). It is making predictions based on previous patterns or learnings, and will also prioritise what takes the least amount of energy UNLESS specifically trained not to do this in a particular circumstance. Labeling up front what the "outdated" pathway can be helpful. The ideas for embedding this into L&D programmes are great suggestions. This shows up in our daily lives too. Can you (the broad "you", not just you Tom :) ) recognise for yourself where your outdated scripts are showing up? Grocery store, morning routine, parenting, etc. And are there learnings to be updated? I would encourage people to try this for themselves before implementing for an organisation or group. It's how the brain works!