If all behaviour is learned behaviour, then it is possible to learn to fear learning itself. Here John Allen ponders what we, as those who are trying to help people learn, can do for the 'learningphobe' in this new article on the LearningBuzz website.
One Response
Response to Fear of Learning
People can learn to fear anything. Most fears are related to experiences shared with us by others (the classic example is fear of spiders – we are not born with this fear, so we learn it). Fear of training and learning is something that, as trainers, we meet week in week out. Some adults who are not in a training situation on a regular basis, treat learning and training as a punishment. They assume that if they need it there must be a deficiency in their performance.
The other side of the coin is the company that gives training as a reward rather as a development tool.