General Information About the Dunning-Kruger Effect
Disease Details and Frequently Asked Questions
It is a psychological illusion or cognitive bias where low-ability individuals overestimate their skills (an explosion of self-confidence), while high-ability individuals underestimate their own skills (modesty).
No, it is not a psychiatric disease or mental disorder requiring treatment in medical literature. It is a sociological flaw in the human mind's capacity for self-evaluation.
The person is completely unable to recognize their own lack of knowledge, dismisses the expertise of others, refuses to admit mistakes, and makes definitive judgments like an authority on a subject they are not trained in.
The human brain requires a certain minimum level of knowledge on a subject just to realize how little it knows. Without this knowledge, the person cannot perceive the magnitude of their 'ignorance'.
It can cause meritocracy issues in the workplace, discordant teamwork, and destructive arguments in interpersonal relationships. Because the individual rejects criticism and closes themselves off to self-improvement.
The individual can be helped to recognize their limits by continuously encouraging them to learn, providing constructive and objective feedback (performance evaluations), and offering 'awareness' training.
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