Please review my essay

[vijai]

Please review my essay and help give an idea of the possible score range.

 

The essay prompt was:

People who make decisions based on emotion and justify those decisions with logic afterwards are poor decision makers.

 

My response:

The statement about people who make decisions based on emotions and later justify them based on logic appears to be true in almost all cases. While it is true that, in certain cases, an emotional basis for decision making is often helpful, the logical aspects of any decision must not be ignored. A careful analysis of various situations shows that such an approach only lends to poor decision making ability.

To see how the statement could hold true, consider some of the decisions that one makes in life. The buying of a car, purchasing of real-estate, choosing a career and so on are all examples in which a logical clarity of thought is vital to correct decision making. Without a logical basis for such decisions, people often end up not considering the nuances of issues, are unable to weigh the pros and cons and are often oblivious to any unconscious bias that they may be having to such decision making. The lack of a sound logical underpinning in such cases most commonly results in poor decisions and any attempts to justify such decisions with logical reasons at a later point would seem only futile.

However, there are, undoubtedly, cases in which emotions do help a person in making right choices. Consider self-confidence and the mental strength to overcome failures. It is inevitable that an individual faces numerous setbacks in life, both personal and career-related. In such cases, a logical basis to decision making might not always be the complete approach. Consider a student who has consistently encountered failures in examinations. It might seem all too logical that he/she is unsuited for that particular course and it would be best to give up on it. However, the student might have emotional reasons to believe that sustained attempts might change matters. Such self-belief, which certainly comes under the category of emotions, is often helpful in ensuring that people discover their true potential in spite of setbacks. But, although such a resoning is acceptable, it must be ensured that logical aspects of decision-making are not ignored. A logical line of reasoning must also be maintained in such cases, along with emotional aspects, to ensure that no unreasonable measures are taken.

Other instances where emotional bases to decisions can cause dangers are those of fanatical beliefs such as religious fanaticism and jingoism. Such extreme emotions blind people to logical clarity and result in them making unreasonable decisions, often resulting in violence and destruction to society. Such people often do attempt to justify their actions on the logical bases. However, such attempts are merely diversions by these individuals to seek support for their claims and this is a clear case where emotional blinding can cause problems.

In conclusion, it is apparent that logical soundness is a crucial aspect of decision making and the two must always go hand-in-hand. Although, emotional aspects do help in certain circumstances, they certainly should not form the only basis for the judgement of any issue and must always be accompanied by a logical analysis of various aspects. Such an approach would greatly help in making successful decisions.