What comes to your mind when you hear the word egocentric?

From the word itself egocentric, ego meaning a person's

sense of self-esteem or self-importance. On the other hand, centric meaning pertaining to or situated at the center.

Do you know that one of the most difficult barriers to critical thinking is the tendency to see everything in terms of
oneself? Many people have a tendency to only consider their own interests, which makes them unable to sympathize
with others or opposing viewpoints. Analyzing different points of view to determine their validity and the best aspects of
each is an important part of critical thinking. This barrier is so difficult to overcome because most egocentric people are
unwilling or unable to recognize this trait in themselves.

So, what it means to be egocentric? According to Piaget, who coined the term egocentric to describe his view of early
development. Egocentrism is a person's incapacity to comprehend that another person's viewpoint or opinion may differ
from their own. In other term, it’s a cognitive bias.

But what does it mean to be egocentric in the adolescence stage? As we all know, adolescence is a time of rapid
cognitive development. Biological changes in brain structure and connectivity in the brain interact with increased
experience, knowledge, and changing social demands to produce rapid cognitive growth. According to psychologist
David Elkind, adolescents go through a stage of self-absorption that causes them to only see the world through their
own eyes. He referred to this stage as egocentrism.

Now we have here examples that illustrates egocentric thinking:

Those are the examples, and if you notice that you acquire these traits or signs, I have here simple tips to avoid being an
egocentric thinker.

The best defense against egocentric thinking is to be aware of it and mindful of the needs of others. In essence,
constantly striving to see ideas and concepts from multiple perspectives allows you to separate your thoughts from just
your own. Then you can start taking in other people's thoughts and ideas and start reducing your egocentric thinking.

The way you handle negative criticism is heavily influenced by egocentric thinking.

When someone points out that you made a mistake or did something wrong, it hurts. Nobody wants to be hurt or feel
guilty. However, blaming others for your error will not make matters any better. You're just trying to relieve yourself of
the guilt you're feeling by blaming someone else. When you relieve your guilt by blaming someone else, you no longer
feel responsible for the error in the first place. In that case, you don't feel compelled to change.

Enter egocentric reasoning. You can keep your self-esteem intact by deflecting blame and avoiding the guilt that comes
with wrongdoing. In that case, your thinking remains unchanged. You are still preoccupied with the task of preserving
your own positive self-image. Then, the next time you make a similar mistake, you are likely to react in the same
manner; the vicious circle continues.

Empathy necessitates self-awareness, flexibility, and willingness: an awareness of the differences between one's own
and others' perspectives, the flexibility to recognize that they may be affected differently by a situation, and the
willingness to accept or understand those differences, as well as the recognition that the experiences of others are
relevant and valuable. Empathy is an active skill that must be exercised when learning and understanding different
points of view, not just a general habit or state of being. Therefore, I think that empathy is the highest level of critical
thinking.

To conclude, critical thinking is a valuable skill that can help us make better decisions and judgements. However, all of us
must overcome these barriers to be able to think critically and creatively. It may be a lifelong process, but always choose
to be a critical thinker rather than being a egocentric thinker. Before I end this presentation, let me leave you a
quotation by Tina Panossian, “No matter how great a person is, egocentrism will annihilate the greatness.”