We live in a world where we’re taught to take everything we hear with a grain of salt. Suspicion, skepticism, and doubt have become our default mechanisms when interacting with people. A direct antithesis of all three of the above traits is known as assuming positive intent.

In particular, the assumption of positive intent by a person. Here’s what that means.

What Does it Mean to Assume Positive Intent?

When you’re giving the benefit of the doubt to a coworker, friend, or acquaintance by perceiving the intention behind their words from a broader angle, you’re assuming positive intent.

Here’s how this might look in practice:

Disgruntled Customers

Customer service employees are taught to be at their best behavior when receiving and dealing with negative feedback. It doesn’t matter how harsh they get on call; they’re entirely justified in calling out the failings of the company you represent.

Thus, instead of replying in kind, a customer service rep would focus on the problem that prompted such a reaction, get to the bottom of it, sort it out, and take measures to ensure such mistakes aren’t repeated.

By doing this, not only would they be assuming positive intent, but also bringing about positive change as a result of it.

Countering Assuming Negative Intent with Assuming Positive Intent

Even when we’re visibly idling, our minds are working a mile a minute to understand and assume what wasn’t said during our interactions and fill in the gaps where more may have been implied.

Unfortunately, the mind of someone with social anxiety may assume something far worse than even the most jaded person.

Learn to Assume Positive Intent through Mind Healing Sessions in Rochester, NY

Need help opening your mind to positive intent? Let us help you deal with subconscious anxiety through hypnosis.

Book a free consultation to learn all about subconscious mind healing techniques.