Problems
I have labeled the second type of issue as a Problem. Many Essential issues belong in this second category. These issues often arise without warning. Uncertainty is prominent. Predictions are often inaccurate. Actions can be counterproductive. However, curiosity is aroused. What is going on here? It has drawn my attention. My magnifying lens is brought out and I focus on the nature of this challenging condition. My polystatic process becomes less automatic. I slow down my thinking and reflect on what has not been working (as well as what has worked).
Problems can be differentiated from puzzles because they are less predictable and because there are multiple perspectives that can be applied when analyzing a problem. Several possible predictions and solutions are associated with any one problem. Multiple baselines can be engaged and many different criteria are applicable to the evaluation of any one solution. There are many more cognitive demands being placed on us when we confront problems than when we confront puzzles—given that problems do not have simple or single solutions and given that they were not anticipated. We also experience affective demands. The problem frightens us for a short period of time. Can we really be successful? And how will we know that success is at hand? Yet, like Einstein, we eventually might become “passionately curious” about this problem. We may spend countless hours (and forfeit nights of sleep) in search of a solution.
Problems are multi-dimensional and inter-disciplinary in nature. They are inevitably complicated in that they involve many elements. Any one problem can be viewed from many different points of view—each of which is creditable. Thus, it is unclear when a problem has been successfully resolved. We face the cognitive and emotional challenge of acknowledging multiple realities, multiple possible predictions and multiple possible solutions. The challenge is amplified, based on the level of importance to be assigned to this problem. If we are not overwhelmed by its importance, the problem is likely to provoke our curiosity if it is Essential. In fact, we might be curious about the actual status of this problem. Is it really Essential to find the solution to this problem in short order? There are additional matters associated with confrontation of a problem. There are cognitive and affective challenges associated with the Uncertainty aroused by the unexpected appearance of this problem. There is also the possibility that it will reappear at some point in the future if not solved right now. Even if it is solved, the darn thing might reappear later—like an unwanted relative or guest.
There is also the matter of stakeholders and audience. The outcome of the problem-solution process itself is likely to be of significant interest to many people when it is engaged to address a problem that is Essential. How do we know if this Essential problem has been permanently resolved? The criterion will often vary depending on the stakeholder group being considered. Often the most important and difficult discussions revolve around agreeing on the criteria for solving an Essential problem. For instance, at the level of public policy, Essential discussions regarding a virus can revolve around reducing the number of deaths or keeping the economy from total collapse. How will we know if we have been successful in combating the virus if we don’t even know what “success” would mean. Is success all about lives or does it center on livelihoods?
At the personal level we must ask questions that are impossible to answer. Whose feelings and whose life are most important in this family? With our limited budget, who receives funds for college? When and how do we tell our kids that Dad has lost his job or that Mom is pregnant? We can’t even evaluate if the solutions are successful. Was a college education “worth it”? Was this a good thing that we shared our news about Dad or Mom right away? We will continue to be plagued by the unanswerable question: “Did we do the right thing?” There is the lingering concern: “Have I been a wise and caring parent?”
