What does it mean that schema inertia resists change?

Established schemas persist even when contradicted by evidence.

Example: You learn that a colleague you've judged as 'uncommitted' has been working 60-hour weeks on a project you didn't know about. Your immediate reaction isn't to update the schema. It's to explain it away: 'They're probably just catching up on things they dropped.' The evidence is right there. But the schema was there first, and it fights to stay.

Try this: Pick a belief you hold about someone you work with or live with — a simple character judgment. Write it down. Now deliberately search for three pieces of evidence that contradict it. Not weak evidence — strong evidence. Notice how your mind resists: it will want to explain away each piece, minimize it, or reframe it to fit the original belief. The resistance you feel is schema inertia. Name it.