In sum, the fix is both plain and unavoidable: a standardised curriculum in emotional and social intelligence, grounded in basic psychology and critical thinking, woven through every year from kindergarten to Grade 12 just as physical education or history.
Without this educational remedy—without a deliberate effort to repair society through how we educate minds—we cultivate individuals unable to recognise manipulation, regulate emotion, or identify harm until it has already taken root; and when minds are truncated, so too is their potential, quietly shaping the children they raise and the future that inevitably follows.
CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS (INTRODUCTION) COURSE
Crooked politicians aren’t the only ones manipulating everyone—equip yourself to detect deception! Learn what “they” don’t want you to know!
(Free Workshop Material)
SubStack: Psyklore
Duration: ~35 minutes
For: Anyone who has ever been misled, out-argued, or flat-out lied to.
Please take your time to read this course carefully.
Congratulations and good luck!
WHY THIS MATTERS
Every day, your mind is being nudged—sometimes gently, sometimes sneakily. Ads tell you what to buy. Headlines push your buttons. Social media shows what it thinks you’ll click. Friends, family, colleagues, and politicians all try to influence you.
Your brain is brilliant—it takes shortcuts to save energy. Most of the time, this works perfectly: don’t touch fire, run from danger. But in today’s world of complex information, these shortcuts can trick you. You might buy something you don’t need, argue yourself into frustration, or feel manipulated without knowing how or why.
The good news? Once you notice the patterns, you can’t unsee them. They appear everywhere: commercials, politics, workplaces, even in your own thoughts. They will simply “pop out” at you! This isn’t paranoia—it’s clarity. Understanding these patterns helps you think clearly, communicate better, and make choices that actually serve you.
Research shows that learning about cognitive biases and logical fallacies improves critical thinking, reduces susceptibility to manipulation, and boosts confidence (Kahneman, 2011; Cialdini, 2006). People who can spot these patterns report feeling more in control and less reactive to emotional tricks.
THE THREE PILLARS OF CLEAR THINKING
We’ll explore three mental traps:
• Logical Fallacies – Errors in reasoning and ways we decide about things that sound convincing but collapse under scrutiny
• Cognitive Distortions – Mental filters (ways of thinking) that twist reality away from absolute truth
• Psychological Defences – Unconscious strategies your ego (self) uses to cope and protect itself
WHERE YOU’LL ENCOUNTER THESE
(LOOSE EXAMPLES—DEFINITIONS WILL FOLLOW)
Advertising
• “It’s just the thing to do these days!” → Appeal to Popularity
• “Act now or miss out forever!” → Appeal to Fear + Appeal to Scarcity
• “You got a speeding ticket because you’re hot-headed.” → False Cause
Social Media
• Outrage-inducing headlines / war-torn images of children
→ Emotional Reasoning + Negativity Bias
• Echo chambers (FOX, CNN, ABC) confirming your beliefs → Confirmation Bias
• Influencers attacking critics personally → Ad Hominem Attacks
News & Politics
• “If we allow X, then Y will definitely happen” → Slippery Slope
• “You’re either with us or against us” → False Dilemma + Splitting
• Changing the subject or topic of a conversation as a distraction → Red Herring
(“Gaslighting is okay because it’s difficult to prove.”)
Personal Relationships
• “You’re always angry” / “That girl is completely crazy!” → Overgeneralization
• Blaming others for your own feelings → Projection
• Statements that assume or validate that struggles / benefits are deserved → Just-World Fallacy
At Work
• “We’ve always done it this way” / “That’s just the way we do things” → Thought-Terminating Cliché + Appeal to Tradition / Popularity
• Re-framing events after the fact to make an unwelcome outcome feel justified or less threatening. → Rationalization
• Seeing people as all perfect or all terrible → Splitting
In Your Own Head
• “I feel anxious, therefore something bad will happen” → Emotional Reasoning
• Remembering one criticism but forgetting ten compliments → Negativity Bias
• Convincing yourself you didn’t want an opportunity anyway → Rationalization
PILLAR 1: LOGICAL FALLACIES
Definition: Errors in reasoning that sound convincing but are not logically sustainable
Fallacies are errors in reasoning that appear persuasive but collapse under analysis. They work because they feel true, trigger familiar patterns, or come from trusted sources. Humans have been falling for them since caveman times!
Top 10 Fallacies
• Strawman – Twisting someone’s argument to attack it more easily
Example:
Person A: “We should have a licensing program for parents!”
Person B: “Oh, here we go—more ‘woke’ government control nonsense!”
Response: “That’s not what I said. Let me clarify the limitations & benefits.”
• Ad Hominem – Attacking the person instead of the argument
Examples:
“You can’t protest about climate change—you drive a gas car.”
“Why would you believe what Jim says—he has bad breath and body odour!”
Response: “Let’s focus on the idea itself.”
• Slippery Slope – Claiming one small step leads inevitably to extreme outcomes
Example: “If I eat one cookie, I may eat the whole box and subsequently get fat!”
Response: “What evidence suggests this progression is inevitable?”
• Appeal to Popularity (Bandwagon) – Assuming something is true because many believe it
Example: “Everyone’s investing in crypto—you’re missing out!”
Response: “Popularity doesn’t equal truth; what’s the evidence of absolute success?”
• Appeal to Fear – Using fear instead of reason to influence decision-making
Example: “We can’t tell John that his wife has been secretly recording him and sharing the footage online; if he finds out, he may retaliate and hurt her or someone else.”
Response: “Withholding information about crime, abuse or humiliation
is both illegal and immoral.”
• Appeal to Incredulity – Rejecting a claim or argument because it seems implausible, unintuitive, or difficult to imagine, rather than because it lacks evidence
Example: “That explanation seems too ‘far out’ to be true.” / “I find that idea hard to believe, you must be crazy.”
Response: “Reality is not obligated to match our intuitions or instincts.”
• Appeal to Force (Strong-Arm Fallacy) – Using threats, intimidation, or implied punishment to compel agreement and win an argument
Example: “If you don’t support this policy, you’ll regret it.”
Response: “Threats do not make a claim true. Logic and evidence matter more than coercion. What external evidence supports this claim of regret?”
• Hasty Generalization – Drawing broad conclusions from too little evidence
Example: “You know that rude girl Jane from Toronto;
I’ll bet everyone from there is just as bad!”
Response: “Does that person represent all Torontonians? What else might be happening?”
• Red Herring – Introducing a distraction away from the argument
Example:
Person A: “You forgot to pay the restaurant bill.”
Person B: “But you left food on your plate!”
Response: “Let’s address the original point first.”
• Just-World Fallacy – Assuming people get suffering/privilege because they deserve it
Examples:
“Jane is being targeted by sadists in her community because she was a terrible child…She’s getting what she deserves.”
Extrajudicial punishments are crimes, prohibited under criminal law.
“John’s good fortune won the lottery jackpot because he built several schools.”
Response: “Many people contribute hardwork
to their community without reward.”
PILLAR 2: COGNITIVE DISTORTIONS
Definition: Mental shortcuts that distort how you perceive reality or interpret people, events or things, often without conscious awareness.
Top 10 Distortions
• Confirmation Bias – Seeking evidence that fits what you already believe
Example: Watching only FOX news because you don’t agree with BBC news
Counter: “What or who could prove my perspective wrong?”
• Should Statements – Using ‘should’ to enforce an imagined ideal onto reality.
Example: “Larry should go to medical school!”
Counter: “Do you realize that Larry has an invisible learning disorder? How might his circumstances affect his choices?”
• Overgeneralization – Applying one thing or example universally
Example: “She didn’t reply to my text—nobody likes me.”
Counter: “Maybe Jane has simply been busy!?”
• Catastrophizing – Jumping to the worst-case scenario
Example: “My head hurts—I probably have a brain tumour.”
Counter: “What’s the most likely cause of your headache?”
• Attribution Fallacy (F.A.E.) – Over-emphasising others’ behaviour or character (i.e., reputation/rumour) while ignoring exculpatory evidence
Example: “They play violent video games all day, so they must be violent people!”
Counter: “Could there be facts you’re overlooking that paint a different picture?”
• Victim Blaming – Assigning fault to someone for events outside their control
Example: “She got mugged because she was careless walking at night.”
Counter: “Responsibility lies with the perpetrator, not the victim.”
• Stereotyping – Assuming that all members of a category or group share the same traits or characteristics.
Example: “All pedophiles are a dangerous threat to children!”
Counter: “Thoughts ≠ actions (’Pedo’ ≠ ‘ChoMo’); do not conflate attraction with behaviour.”
• Thought-Terminating Clichés – Phrases that shut down further thinking
Example: “I don’t wanna talk about it” / “Because I said so!”
Counter: “What are we avoiding in examination here?” / “What is the context of your certainty?”
• Magical Thinking – Believing unrelated, supernatural or paranormal things, entities or events are causally connected with reality
Example: “I wore my lucky socks today, that’s why I won!”
Counter: “Can you empirically reproduce this correlation?”
• Jumping to Conclusions – Forming beliefs without sufficient evidence
Example: “She didn’t reply to my text—she must be angry.”
Counter: Perhaps we should wait so as to gather more information and avoid assuming motives or outcomes
PILLAR 3: PSYCHOLOGICAL DEFENCES
Definition: Unconscious strategies the ego (your “self”) uses to protect itself from discomfort
Top Five Primary Defences
What you or others do to protect your mind or ego.
• Denial – Refusing to accept reality, science, or fact
Example: “If I don’t think about the lump, it won’t spread.”
Response: “Your oncologist has confirmed it’s a malignant tumour—you need intervention!”
• Projection – Attributing your feelings to others
Example: “Assuming someone is untrustworthy because you generally don’t trust strangers.”
Response: “Could your feelings about Steve reflect your own trust issues?”
• Lying – Distorting or withholding information
Example: “I didn’t take the funds, even though I did”
Response: “Admitting the truth may relieve stress and preserve integrity”
• Transference – Redirecting feelings or expectations from one person onto another, often based on past experiences
Example: “Zack’s dog bit me, so I feel fear toward Jane’s dog.”
Response: “Your fear comes from a past experience, not Jane’s dog itself.”
• Displacement – Redirecting emotions to a safer target
Example: Super hungry → snap at friend
Response: “Are you just ‘hangry,’ or is something else going on?”
Top Five Secondary Defences
The “shields” people use to defend their points.
• Minimization – Downplaying the significance of anything or anyone
Example: “It was just a small betrayal...”
Response: “But, you cheated on your wife with multiple transgender persons!!!”
• Intellectualization – Analyzing feelings intellectually rather than experiencing them empathetically
Example: “Fifty percent of relationships fail anyway.”
Response: “How do you feel about it though?”
• Reaction Formation – Acting opposite to true feelings
Example: Cracking jokes after a tragedy.
Response: “Why are you telling jokes, your cat was just made flat!?”
• Splitting – Seeing situations as all-good or all-bad
Example: “Emily is an absolute hero!” → “Emily’s behaviour disqualifies her from humanity!”
Response: “Can we find a more accurate understanding of Emily?”
• Sublimation – Changing physical impulses into healthy activities
Example: Anger → exercise / frustration → art
Response: “If you’re angry, go for a walk!”
✅ HOW TO APPLY THIS KNOWLEDGE
(Remember: A single statement may contain multiple fallacies &/or distortions!)
In Conversation:
• “Excuse me, I detect an error in your logic.”
• “I hear what you’re saying, but I’m not sure that follows. Can you explain?”
• “That’s interesting. What evidence supports that?”
• “We shifted topics—can we return to the original point?”
In Your Thinking:
• Object of Thought: “What am I thinking?”
• Identify: Fallacy, distortion, or defence
Example:
Thought: “My friend didn’t text back. She hates me.”
Distortions: Catastrophizing + Overgeneralization + Jumping to Conclusions
Reframe: “She might be busy at work. One delayed text doesn’t mean hatred!”
In Media & Advertising:
• What emotion is being triggered?
• What fallacy might be at play?
• What’s the actual evidence?
• Who benefits if I believe this?
In Relationships:
• Notice your defences first – pause and observe your reactions before responding.
• Use subjectively personal statements – e.g., “I feel defensive,” instead of “Janette is attacking me!”
• Ask curious questions – Further information gathering and understanding—question everything!
• Name errors gently – e.g., “I think we might both be minimizing our actions here Greg.”
TAKEAWAYS
• Fallacies = errors in arguments (external)
• Distortions = errors in perception (internal)
• Defences = emotional self-protection (internal)
You’re not “stupid” for falling for them—your brain is doing what it evolved to do. The difference is now you can notice, question, and choose differently.
WANT TO GO DEEPER?
• There are many many more fallacies, distortion and defences.
• Feel free to search Google or YouTube or your favourite GPT!
• Try and apply these items to videos of MAGA supporters as practice!
• Ask your family & tell your friends!
References:
• Thinking, Fast and Slow – Daniel Kahneman
• Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion – Robert Cialdini
• “The first principle is that you must not fool yourself—and YOU are the easiest person to fool.” – Richard Feynman
Footnote Disclaimer Regarding The Stereotyping "Pedo/ChoMo" Example:
Now...before anyone lapses into "apoplexy", let’s establish something plainly and without theatrics: child sexual abuse and CSAM are indefensible harms — full stop.
Survivors of child sexual abuse may develop: Major depressive disorder, PTSD, Borderline personality disorder, Anxiety disorders, Substance use disorders, Elevated risk of self-harm, Suicidal ideation, and completed suicide. Many also experience disrupted attachment, cognitive impacts, and long-term social and relational difficulties.
Nothing below dilutes that truth; it sharpens it. However, real harm is currently enacted through STIGMA. Said STIGMA is arguably causal in the death of Amanda Todd due to her community's social excommunication enacted by an online abuser in a different country. That dynamic happens far too often.
A 2023 UNSW study found that approximately 15% of men report some degree of sexual attraction to minors. That statistic does not include women. Attraction alone is not abuse.
Blackmail thrives on weaponised shame. Predators exploit fear, secrecy, and stigma to coerce underage victims into silence — or into producing more images and videos (e.g., “If you tell or stop, I’ll send this to everyone you know”). Social stigma is often the very lever that enables blackmail.
It is small examples like this that quietly demonstrate how stereotyping, born of simple ignorance, compounds into real and lasting harm.