Why Do Smart People Do Dumb Things?

A hospital with a 39-day waiting list for brain surgery patients suspended a neurosurgeon for three days — because he took extra croutons in the cafeteria without paying for them.

A bank robber not only robbed his own financial institution, but wrote the hold-up note on the back of his own deposit slip!

Why do smart people do dumb things? Psychologist Madeleine Van Hecke believes that our minds work FOR us — 80 or 90% of the time. But the rest of the time, they work against us. The very things that make us clever and creative can backfire and lead us astray.

Your audience will learn:

• Was that person stupid — or did they just have a blind spot?
• Why “stupid idiot” is a useful phrase
• How to defend yourself when your spouse, boss, or kids treat you as if you were stupid

Listen to Madeleine’s Interviews!

Madeleine has appeared on dozens of radio programs. You can listen to some of her interviews by clicking on the links below.

David McMillian on Strategies for Living

D. J. Grothe on Point of Inquiry

Joy Cardin on Wisconsin Public Radio

Upcoming Interviews and webinars:

Webinar “From Furious to Curious: Dealing More Effectively with Conflict and Negativity.” November 13, 2008, 2 p.m. Eastern Time. For more information, or to listen to the archived program after the event, go to What You Learn

Credentials:
Madeleine Van Hecke, Ph.D., is a registered clinical psychologist, an award-winning college professor who has taught classes in critical thinking and creative thinking, a speaker/trainer for Open Arms Seminars, and the author of Blind Spots: Why Smart People Do Dumb Things, Prometheus Books, Inc., April, 2007.

224 pages (illustrations) ISBN 978-1-59102-509-2 Paperback: $18 (6 x 9) * World Rights