No doubt we all wonder why, sometimes with almost depressing regularity, we have such a tendency to make mistakes. Whether it is a decision that we have made, which at the time seemed like a very good idea but subsequently proved to have unwanted if not disastrous consequences or simply a practical or job related scenario where, for some unfathomable reason we made the wrong decision, mistakes will happen to even the best of us.

What of course is most frustrating is when the mistakes that we make are so obvious to others yet we cannot see them for ourselves.

Why then does this happen to us? Why do we make mistakes? These are the real questions that have been testing the minds of individuals and scientists for years. Yet perhaps the answers are quite simple when one analyses them in more detail. The first thing we have to accept of course is that we are all human. It is part of our psychological make-up to be prone to making mistakes. We are all faced with millions of choice to make every day, even simple ones such as whether to turn a light on or not. If it is dark and we turn it on too late we could harm ourselves on an item of furniture that we could not see, which consequently means that the decision to leave the light off was a mistake. This teaches us to be more cautious with such a decision in the future.

Making mistakes is also a part of behavioural and social learning. When we were children there was a natural inclination to want to push the boundaries of acceptable behaviour in either a family or other kind of social environment. It was not until an adult, usually a parent, had reprimanded us that we learnt at what stage or level it would be a mistake to push the boundaries any farther.

Furthermore, making mistakes is an integral part of our education, learning and knowledge acquisition. Think about when you were at school. The whole purpose of the lessons and tutorage that was received was to provide us with knowledge. For example, with math's, when our workings did not produce the right results the tutors would point out where we had made mistakes so that we would learn from them.

Another point to bear in mind is that often what appears to be a mistake at a particular time can subsequently result in something positive. For example, think of how many inventions and cures have resulted from the fact that the person in question made a mistake that subsequently led to an unexpected discovery.

Therefore it can be argued that the reasons we make mistake are twofold. Firstly, we are not human and, secondly, we need to make mistakes so that we can learn. There is truth in the saying that the person who never made mistakes, never made anything.

Learn more about this author, Paul Lines.
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