On the interaction between implicit and explicit strategies for behaviour

Psychologists point out that much human behavior complies with implicit–or automatic, unconscious, involuntary, unintentional–rules. However, the profession has prospered by embracing counseling and other kinds of intervention as if human actions are rational, intentional and voluntary. Moreover, most people will report strong convictions about the conscious decisions they make to act in certain ways. This chapter’s focus is on the way psychologists deal with explicit and implicit strategies. Four ways of dealing with this issue are suggested, organized along two dimensions: objective-subjective, and implicit-explicit. These strategies can be found in the history of psychology, though some were more popular than others. One of these is discussed more elaborately: objective x implicit. A way out of resulting paradoxes is suggested. It is important to look at the way explicit and implicit strategies interact in the actual production of actions.