Decision-making isn’t just about logic or facts. It is also about how we feel, our experiences, beliefs and expectations.

We are in an age of enormous choice. There are thousands of careers. Hundreds of courses. Countless products. Endless opinions online. More options can sound like freedom, but too many options can also create uncertainty and mental fatigue. When people have too many possibilities to evaluate, making a decision can become harder than easier.  This is called a choice overload. This is why good decision-making isn't necessarily about collecting as many prospects as possible.

Have you ever made a decision and later questioned it? Perhaps you knew it wasn't the best choice, didn't have enough information, or someone even warned you. Yet you still made that decision. The answers lie in the psychological influences. 

EMOTIONS CAN INFLUENCE OUR CHOICES

Emotions are not necessarily enemies of good decision-making. For instances: 

• Fear can alert us to possible danger. 
• Excitement can motivate us to explore opportunities.
• Anger can signal that we believe something unfair has happened.

Imagine receiving a message that makes you extremely angry. You immediately want to respond. Your response seems obvious: to tell that person every reason that made you feel that way. But an hour later, you feel calmer. You read the message again and decide a different response might be better. The situation may not have changed. But your emotional state changed. The important thing is to recognise when an emotion is influencing how we interpret a situation. Sometimes the wisest decision is to pause before acting.

OUR PAST BECOMES A FILTER FOR OUR DECISIONS

Our experiences also shape the way we interpret new situations. Imagine failing an important examination. You may begin to think: “I'm not good at this.”

Then, the next time you face a similar challenge, that belief may influence your behaviour before you even begin. You might avoid the task. You might procrastinate. You might expect failure. Slowly, it becomes part of the psychological filters through which we see new possibilities.

WHAT ABOUT SOCIAL PRESSURE’S EFFECT ON OUR CHOICES?

Sometimes the strongest influence on a decision isn't inside us. It's around us. This is where the decision-making conversation becomes particularly interesting. Western psychological discussions often place significant emphasis on individual decision-making, while African perspectives can add another dimension of how our decisions can have consequences beyond ourselves.

We may choose something because everyone else is doing it, or because of parents’ expectations and perceptions of other people. While social influence can help provide support, advice and knowledge, social pressure can also cause us to make choices that don't align with our own values. This is particularly common for young people. Oftentimes, a learner choosing subjects or a career may be influenced by friends, parents, teachers, social media and perceptions of what counts as a “successful” career. Making their decision much more complex than simply asking.

However, individual and collective perspectives don't have to compete. The Afriwesternism lens invites us to hold both perspectives together. For example, a learner may dream of pursuing a particular career while their parents are concerned about financial security. Instead of immediately deciding who is right (or wrong), we can explore the psychology behind both perspectives. The learner's aspirations matter. The family's concerns matter too. Understanding the motivations behind both can create a more constructive conversation and lead to a wiser decision.

We cannot control every influence on our decisions. But we can become more aware of them. Before making an important choice, ask:

• “Am I responding to evidence or fear?”
• “Am I choosing this because I value it or because I want approval from others?”
• “Am I responding to this situation or to something that happened in my past?”
• “Have I considered my own values?”
• “Have I considered the people affected by my decision?”

These questions don't give us an automatic answer. But they can give us something valuable: greater awareness. An awareness which gives us a better foundation for making deliberate choices.