Bias is built into our hardwiring. We process millions of pieces of information each day and make automatic decisions using what psychologist Joseph LeDoux in 1996 described as an unconscious “danger detector.” The detection of danger or something different activates a “fight or flight” response. It is human nature to seek the company of others who fall within our comfort zone and make us feel safe. This positive response to people who are similar to us is known as affinity bias.
Left unchecked or analyzed, this bias or preference for people who have similar backgrounds and interest can have a negative impact on the workplace. In our “post-racial” society, it may be hard to accept that bias is the root cause of the attrition rates and that bias plays any role in our interactions with diverse attorneys. But research shows that everyone has bias; it is just a part of who we are.
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