Malcolm Gladwell

She's expecting things to have resolved themselves. Things should have happened. But nothing's happened. All she sees is Chauvin, up on the screen, sitting on Floyd's neck, his hand casually in his pocket, his face impassive. He's frozen. Or, to use a term favored by psychologists, he's fixated.

She's expecting things to have resolved themselves. Things should have happened. But nothing's happened. All she sees is Chauvin, up on the screen, sitting on Floyd's neck, his hand casually in his pocket, his face impassive. He's frozen. Or, to use a term favored by psychologists, he's fixated.

That's Gary Klein. He consults with governments, armies, and hospitals on how to make better decisions under pressure, and wrote the classic Sources of Power, one of my favorite books ever. For Klein, one of the most revealing case studies in fixation was the actions of the Israeli intelligence chief, Elie Zera, in the weeks leading up to the Yom Kippur War between Egypt and Israel in 1973.

That's Gary Klein. He consults with governments, armies, and hospitals on how to make better decisions under pressure, and wrote the classic Sources of Power, one of my favorite books ever. For Klein, one of the most revealing case studies in fixation was the actions of the Israeli intelligence chief, Elie Zera, in the weeks leading up to the Yom Kippur War between Egypt and Israel in 1973.

The fixated decision-maker cannot accept new information. Every time new information arises that challenges his original conception, he explains it away. Klein once did a big project at Johns Hopkins University Hospital, looking at how physicians made diagnoses. And he found that the most experienced doctors were acutely aware of their own tendency towards fixation. It was a constant battle.

The fixated decision-maker cannot accept new information. Every time new information arises that challenges his original conception, he explains it away. Klein once did a big project at Johns Hopkins University Hospital, looking at how physicians made diagnoses. And he found that the most experienced doctors were acutely aware of their own tendency towards fixation. It was a constant battle.

Did he end up changing his diagnosis?

Did he end up changing his diagnosis?

Fighting fixation means being willing to throw away all the work you've done in making sense of a complicated situation and saying, let's start over. This is what Chauvin doesn't do. He never says to himself, let's start over.

Fighting fixation means being willing to throw away all the work you've done in making sense of a complicated situation and saying, let's start over. This is what Chauvin doesn't do. He never says to himself, let's start over.

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. You can't be, is it fair to say you can't be a police officer if you're not willing to revisit your script?

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. You can't be, is it fair to say you can't be a police officer if you're not willing to revisit your script?

Floyd is trying to raise his chest off the ground? Oh, that's because he's still resisting arrest. Some lady says she's a firefighter? Is she really? In fact, when Genevieve Hansen moves closer, she'll then go for his mace. Floyd's voice starts to falter. About time. Maybe he's finally going to stop complaining. One of his fellow officers says, put him in the recovery position.

Floyd is trying to raise his chest off the ground? Oh, that's because he's still resisting arrest. Some lady says she's a firefighter? Is she really? In fact, when Genevieve Hansen moves closer, she'll then go for his mace. Floyd's voice starts to falter. About time. Maybe he's finally going to stop complaining. One of his fellow officers says, put him in the recovery position.

Dude, I've been doing this for 19 years. Back off. The crowd that has gathered around Floyd and the four officers is becoming more and more vocal. But Chauvin isn't moving.

Dude, I've been doing this for 19 years. Back off. The crowd that has gathered around Floyd and the four officers is becoming more and more vocal. But Chauvin isn't moving.

Check his pulse, Tom. Check his pulse. Check his pulse. One of the other cops at the scene says to the officer sitting behind Chauvin, I can't find one. Floyd is dead. And still, Chauvin doesn't move. He will remain on Floyd's neck for another three minutes, even after the ambulance arrives.

Check his pulse, Tom. Check his pulse. Check his pulse. One of the other cops at the scene says to the officer sitting behind Chauvin, I can't find one. Floyd is dead. And still, Chauvin doesn't move. He will remain on Floyd's neck for another three minutes, even after the ambulance arrives.

Years from now, when university professors teach courses on decision sciences, they will play this video as a textbook example of fixation. But why is Chauvin fixated? What psychological mechanism could describe why he would just sit there, In the aftermath of the murder, it was said again and again that Chauvin is a racist. But calling someone racist is a description, not an explanation.

Years from now, when university professors teach courses on decision sciences, they will play this video as a textbook example of fixation. But why is Chauvin fixated? What psychological mechanism could describe why he would just sit there, In the aftermath of the murder, it was said again and again that Chauvin is a racist. But calling someone racist is a description, not an explanation.