On being wrong, part II

When we do something, when we look at our own behavior, we tend to see it in context. For instance, we think of ourselves as being safe drivers, but if we are driving fast today, it is because we are running late for an appointment.

But when we look at another person driving quickly, we say this person is a reckless driver. That person must have an inherent personal weakness.

This tendency, which we are all too familiar with, was coined The Fundamental Attribution Error by social psychologist Lee Ross in 1977: There is a pervasive tendency to explain the behavior of others as a result of a personal disposition, when the behavior could just as easily be explained as a natural response to situational pressures or constraints.

We are way more often wrong than we realize. And no wonder so many people take things personally.