The Person You Mean to Be audiobook cover - How Good People Fight Bias

The Person You Mean to Be

How Good People Fight Bias

Dolly Chugh

★ 4.0 / 5(144 ratings)
Start ListeningDownload App
Categories:
PsychologyCorporate Culture

If You're Curious About These Questions...

You should listen to this audiobook

Listen to The Person You Mean to Be — Free Audiobook

Loading player...

Key Takeaways from The Person You Mean to Be

Learning Tools

Reinforce what you learned from The Person You Mean to Be

Mind Map

The Person You Mean to Be
Unconscious Bias+
Mindset & Growth+
The Psychology of Privilege+
Racial Identity Consciousness+
Harmful Approaches to Avoid+
Fostering Inclusion+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 9
How does a 'growth mindset' relate to overcoming prejudices, according to the text?
  • A. It allows people to accept their inherent traits and biases without feelings of guilt.
  • B. It encourages people to explore unfamiliar topics and learn about those who are different from them.
  • C. It helps individuals quickly identify and call out the unconscious biases of others.
  • D. It physically alters the brain to prevent it from processing unconscious information.
Question 2 of 9
Why is unconscious bias so prevalent despite our conscious beliefs about equality?
  • A. We consciously choose to ignore evidence that contradicts our upbringing and family values.
  • B. The human brain processes 11 million pieces of information per second, but only about 40 on a conscious level.
  • C. Unconscious biases are genetically inherited and cannot be altered by new life experiences.
  • D. The media constantly reinforces explicit racist ideologies that override our conscious thoughts.
Question 3 of 9
Based on the 2015 Stanford study, what is the most effective way to help someone recognize their own privilege without making them defensive?
  • A. Confront them directly with undeniable statistics about systemic inequality.
  • B. Remind them of the specific, severe hardships faced by minority groups.
  • C. Give them a compliment or have them focus on a positive personal achievement first.
  • D. Ask them to compare their childhood with someone from a lower socioeconomic background.
Question 4 of 9
According to research on workplace diversity, why is it particularly important for privileged individuals (like white men) to promote diversity and counter biased remarks?
  • A. They are the only demographic that genuinely understands the historical context of systemic racism.
  • B. Minorities and women are legally restricted from enacting hiring changes in most corporate structures.
  • C. They are unconsciously associated with power and face far less professional backlash for promoting diversity than women or minorities do.
  • D. They are more likely to possess a growth mindset than other demographics in corporate environments.
Question 5 of 9
What is a common pitfall when people attempt to develop their racial identity consciousness?
  • A. They try to skip the 'denial' stage because they do not want to confront the ugly truth of their own misconceptions.
  • B. They get permanently stuck in the 'deeper understanding' stage and become paralyzed by guilt.
  • C. They assume that attending a single anti-racism workshop will completely erase their implicit biases overnight.
  • D. They rely too heavily on minority friends to guide them through the 'acceptance' stage.
Question 6 of 9
How did minority participants in a 2008 Harvard study typically perceive white individuals who claimed or pretended to be 'color-blind'?
  • A. As more progressive and open-minded.
  • B. As well-intentioned but socially awkward.
  • C. As completely neutral and unbiased.
  • D. As being more racist, rather than less.
Question 7 of 9
Why does the author argue that 'positive' stereotypes (e.g., 'Asian Americans are academically talented or wealthy') can be harmful?
  • A. They create unrealistic expectations that lead to severe mental health crises in minority communities.
  • B. They strip individuals of their unique identity and can negatively impact real-world opportunities, such as receiving financial aid.
  • C. They cause other minority groups to feel jealous, which fosters inter-racial conflict in the workplace.
  • D. They are usually created by the media to manipulate financial markets and consumer behavior.
Question 8 of 9
What did the author's jelly bean experiment in Boston demonstrate about unconscious bias?
  • A. People are generally terrible at estimating numbers without visual aids.
  • B. Participants were far more likely to listen to and trust advice given by a white male voice over minority voices.
  • C. People tend to take more credit for group success when they are given a physical reward.
  • D. Minority participants were more accurate in their guesses than white participants.
Question 9 of 9
What actionable step does the author recommend in the final summary to help correct unconscious biases?
  • A. Take the Implicit Association Test every morning to monitor daily progress.
  • B. Avoid discussing race in the workplace to prevent triggering defensive reactions.
  • C. Be highly selective about the media you consume, choosing inclusive shows that reflect diverse realities.
  • D. Move to a neighborhood with a high population of minority residents to force daily interaction.

The Person You Mean to Be — Full Chapter Overview

The Person You Mean to Be Summary & Overview

The Person You Mean to Be (2018) offers an accessible guide to the complex world of unconscious biases. Unconscious biases are the assumptions and associations we all have about people who are of a different gender, race, sexual orientation or class than we are. Author Dolly Chugh explains how these unconscious biases work and what we can do to overcome them.

Who Should Listen to The Person You Mean to Be?

  • Students of human behavior and gender studies
  • Anyone who thinks they aren’t prejudiced
  • People who want to be more open-minded

About the Author: Dolly Chugh

Dr. Dolly Chugh is a psychologist with a PhD in Organizational Behavior from Harvard University. Since earning her degree, she’s worked as a social psychologist at New York University and is an expert on the study of unconscious biases.

🎧
Listen in the AppOffline playback & background play
Get App