Module 6 · Solving problems · Lesson 2 of 5

Symptoms and root causes

Treating what hurts is not the same as fixing what causes it.

7 min read · Free — no account needed to read

The idea

A symptom is what you notice: the argument, the tiredness, the late assignments, the empty bank account. A cause is what produces it. Treating a symptom can bring relief, and sometimes that is exactly what is needed. But if the cause is left alone, the symptom usually comes back.

Finding a root cause means asking “why?” more than once. Why am I always tired? Because I sleep badly. Why? Because I look at my phone until one in the morning. Why? Because it is the only time I get to myself. Now the problem is not tiredness but a lack of time to yourself — a very different thing to solve.

Most real problems have more than one cause, and the chain rarely runs in a perfect line. The aim is not to find one single root, but to find a cause you can actually change.

Why it matters

Solutions aimed at symptoms need to be repeated forever. Solutions aimed at causes can make the problem go away, which frees time and energy for everything else.

See it happen

Rashid and his teenage son argue almost every evening about homework. Rashid has tried rewards, punishments and removing the games console.

The first read

The arguments come from his son not doing homework, so firmer rules seem like the natural solution.

With this idea

Asking “why?” several times, Rashid learns his son finds maths confusing and is embarrassed to say so, so he avoids starting. A weekly session with a tutor, and help with the first question each night, ends most of the arguments.

What changed

He looked past the symptom — the arguments — to a cause he could help change.

Easy to get wrong

• Stopping at the first “why”. The first answer is often another symptom.
• Ending the chain at blame. “Because he is lazy” is a verdict, not a cause you can work with.

Different perspectives

Reasonable people disagree here. None of these is presented as the final word.

Asking why repeatedly finds deeper causes

The “five whys” is simple and quick, and often moves people from a surface complaint to something they can actually change.

Problems rarely have one root

Critics note that it follows a single chain when most problems have several causes, and that different people asking “why?” often reach different roots.

What this rests on

Practical wisdom. A widely used way of working. Useful to try — not a scientific law.

• The “five whys” (Taiichi Ohno, Toyota Production System) — Asking “why?” repeatedly to move from a visible problem to a deeper cause.

Try it: Why, why, why

1. Write a problem that keeps coming back.
2. Ask “why does this happen?” and write the answer.
3. Ask “why?” of that answer, and keep going three or four times.
4. Circle the first answer that is something you could change.

Reflect

• Which problem in your life keeps coming back no matter what you do?
• Where have you been treating a symptom as if it were the whole problem?

Use it in the coming days

Pick one recurring problem and write the “why” chain in your journal this week. Then try one small change aimed at the cause.

Where to do it: My Journal

A written chain of causes is easier to test and revisit than one kept in your head.