By Mary Russell, Psy.D.
I was summoned for jury duty this week. As a US citizen, jury duty is my civic duty. It helps to guarantee all citizens access to the basic freedoms to which they are entitled – including a trial by a jury of their peers. That being said, understanding WHY I have an obligation to serve in no way makes actually reporting for jury duty any more fun or less inconvenient…but I digress. The process through which one is (or is not) selected to actually serve on a jury got me thinking. Typically, attorneys will examine potential jurors by asking them a bunch of questions. Now, I’m no attorney, but as I understand it, one purpose of these questions is to reveal whether or not an individual holds biases that might interfere with them making an impartial ruling of guilt or innocence based purely on the evidence and law. So…does being biased need to be a shameful thing?
As my fellow jury members and I were questioned one by one, it was interesting to see people’s responses. On one hand, some jurors readily admitted to experiences or perceptions they had that they believed could directly impact their ability to fairly and impartially decide guilt or innocence. Many may have reported this information honestly….others may have exaggerated their views in an attempt to escape the inconvenience of being selected to sit on a case! On the other hand, a good amount of people questioned acted and spoke almost as if they held no biases and seemingly claiming that many of their experiences and roles did not impact their views at all. While this may have been the case for some, a part of me wondered if some people were concerned about how they might be perceived if they admitted their biases. It was almost as if many people felt ashamed about admitting any biases, perhaps because they were telling themselves they should not hold any biased views and if they do that they were bad people.
The truth is, we all hold biases in the sense that we all view the world in a unique way – demanding that this not be the case may be a tad unrealistic. Holding biases does not make someone a bad person – it merely means s/he is human. Whether as a minority, woman, father, brother, doctor, immigrant, agnostic, rich person, social worker, taxi driver, democrat, sick person, young person, student, construction worker, white person, or catholic, how we were raised, where we work, who we know, and how we define ourselves often impacts how we live and view the world. The important thing – whether it relates to being selected for jury duty or simply interacting with someone new or different – is acknowledging that you may view the world differently than others and that this is part of being human and need not be a shameful fact. Acknowledging our biases may make it easier to make objective decisions or accept others who may also view life differently (and have every right to). It also may help us be mindful of times when our biases interfere in unhelpful or hurtful ways. In becoming aware of one’s biases, one may decide some biases they may want to work on or give up. At the very least, acknowledging your own unique perspectives and biases may help you learn something about yourself and maybe even improve.
Spoiler Alert: Yes, I was selected as a juror for a case.