Judgement

By Lana

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Do you believe that you are good at reading people? While I would consider myself as a perceptive person that allows me to carefully notice how people act, I also realize that I come to conclusions pretty easily. Whenever you set your mind to how you view a person, it is hard to change your perception of them. When a person does something that we might not approve of, why do we automatically assume their whole personality rather than giving them the benefit of the doubt?

I recently learned about a term called the “fundamental attribution error.” This term is used in social psychology, and it describes how we tend to judge a person’s actions by their characteristics, rather than their circumstances. For example, if you are driving on the road and see another person driving fast and dangerously, you automatically believe that they are reckless. However, we dismiss their circumstances - what if they were running late to their work/school, or they had an urgent emergency? We do not validate a person’s experiences as we do for ourselves. If we automatically critique a person’s characteristics for their wrongdoings, how do we know if we are truly good people-readers? While judging people may be a normal and instinctual human quality, the fundamental attribution error puts things into perspective when we socialize with people.

I consider myself as a person who thinks the worst of a situation. When I would talk to a friend and they seemed particularly snarky, I would automatically assume that I did something wrong to make them mad. I don’t consider their circumstances, such as them having a bad day that led to their mood. Sometimes, misreading a situation impacts how I act to fit my own assumptions, which creates a continuous cycle of misinterpretation between me and another person. However, learning about the fundamental attribution error has led me to be more open to understanding people’s experiences. I don’t jump to conclusions as fast as I used to, which ultimately minimized my stress when I socialize with others. As I had learned a lot from this, here are some tips that I can provide to you that may help as well:

Give others the benefit of the doubt
While it is easy to judge someone based on your first impressions of them, how you feel determines your overall impression of them in the future. Becoming aware of the fundamental attribution error allows you to assess your thought process about someone. It certainly eases thoughts for those who are overthinkers, such as myself.

Considerately communicate your pet peeves
Pet peeves may be considered as qualities that are irritable for most of us. For instance, eating food very loudly is a common pet peeve. However, we must be considerate of the person’s circumstances if they seem to be doing something considerate as a pet peeve. If they are a loud eater, it may be a cultural norm that they are accustomed to - rather than being ill-mannered. To communicate your concerns to others, it is best to be open-minded by their response and to not be too quick to judge.

Be aware of comparing yourself to others
We know ourselves the best, so this allows us to rationalize our mistakes whenever we experience them. However, when we subconsciously compare ourselves to the mistakes of others, regardless of how big or small their mistake is, we automatically feel as if we are better. Thus, we should be aware that just because we don’t know another person’s circumstances, we should not judge them for their mistakes. The fundamental attribution error is pretty helpful in these cases!

These tips have allowed me to be aware of others, and have eased my overthinking as well! Being aware of the fundamental attribution error definitely opened up my eyes, making me more considerate of my actions when I am socializing with others. I hope that these tips will benefit you as well!