Hard-wired to resist Eagles’ song change?

OPINION

Change is something I find hard to deal with.

Call me boring and predictable, but familiarity and routine are, somewhat, the anchors in my life.

I truly believe I am not alone.

I used to think it might just be restricted to men, but now, I’m not so sure.

Recently, the West Coast Eagles released an updated club theme song.

When I heard about it, my mind started to put the shutters up, without even hearing it.

Why do they need to change the song? I love it; it played a big part in my connection to something I hold dear.

And then I started to read the social media, listen to the radio, and watch the TV in respect to the feedback on the topic.

The sentiments coming from the public tended to echo my initial reaction.

“What’s wrong with the current song?”, was the general response.

And then I had a listen, and I bloody well loved it.

The beat, the extra dynamic in the chorus, and it was just the right length — I played it over and over again.

I even made my students sit through several replays before their lesson the next day.

Birds of Tokyo, great job!

This got me thinking...

Why don’t we like change?

So I started to do a bit of investigation and came up with some thought-provoking information. According to internationally respected management consultant Torben Rick, there are several reasons why people resist change.

Although Mr Rick is more focused on the workplace, some of the feelings that surface in people are generally related to what could be described, in many respects, as a kind of survival mode.

He cites feelings such as fear of the unknown; connection to the old way; change in the status quo; and simply a misunderstanding about the need for change.

All of the above create a natural psychological reaction in a person that tends to follow a familiar pattern.

Firstly, there is denial, followed by anger, moving to confusion, on to depression, and, sometimes, crisis.

Mr Rick goes on to say this eventually gives way to acceptance and, finally, a new confidence in the change.

I suppose it all comes down to how long a person remains at a certain stage in their reaction to change.

It is interesting to note that Mr Rick also likens stubbornness to change with the use of the term “hard wiring” — simply, an emotional connection to the old way or the way things have always been done.

And I can understand that...

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Peter Fiorenza is the host of Fiorenza on Sunday, 10am to noon on Radio MAMA.