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CONCEPT #076 ·VOL I The Individual · Decision-Making & ChoiceLEXICON ENTRY

Prevention Bias

We prefer preventing bad outcomes over promoting good ones, even when promotion would yield greater net benefit.
Category: BiasEvidence: ReplicatedTier 2Type: Patternⓘ what these mean

This is a Lexicon entry: the mechanism, when it shows up, and the countermeasure. The full correction, with real-world cases and the audit prompt, hasn't been written yet.

When it shows up

Policy design (regulations emphasise preventing harm over enabling benefit). Medical decisions (avoiding side effects weighted more heavily than achieving therapeutic benefit). Product development (teams spend disproportionate effort preventing bugs vs. building features users want). Parenting (preventing failure prioritised over enabling growth).

Failure mode

Over-investing in prevention at the cost of missed opportunities. Risk-averse cultures that protect the downside but never capture the upside. Stagnation framed as safety.

Countermeasure

Quantify both the cost of prevention and the value of promotion explicitly. Ask: "What am I not building because I'm busy preventing?" Balance the portfolio of effort between defence and offense.

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Related concepts

Also connected in the mapOmission Bias·Loss Aversion·Status Quo Bias·Zero Risk Bias

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This entry has the mechanism and countermeasure. The full write-up - real cases, sources, the audit prompt - comes later.

Entry #76 of 631 in The Lexicon · see the full Lexicon