Fundamental Attribution Error

Yesterday's psychology class was probably one of the most impactful ones in this school year. The teacher started off reading a slide discussing attribution theory and heuristics, which didn't really help me understand the concepts. He then asked, "Why do you think people wanted to storm the capitol?" My answer was that the people wanted revenge, while others said that they were being manipulated or brainwashed. He then pointed out which answers suggested that it was their dispositions that caused them to storm the Capitol. I was still confused about what my teacher was trying to convey. It wasn't until I watched a video about fundamental attribution error that answered my questions. 

Before the video started, I believed that I was a good human being. I never got suspended or had detention before in school. After watching the video, however, I began questioning my morality. Was I really a good person? The protagonist's actions in the video reminded me that I was a hypocrite. I attributed people's mistakes to their character instead of acknowledging possible reasons that caused people to do something wrong. If I made the same mistake, I would attribute my mistakes to situational factors. For instance, I don't like when people show up late for an event, yet I have been late for events too many times. When I am late for an event, I will justify my actions by saying that "I had to finish something urgent" or "the traffic was lousy." You see, the reasons do not mention that I am a disorganized person. 

When I watched the protagonist in the video display contradictory thoughts, I noticed that it was wrong for me to commit this cognitive bias all the time. Worse, I made these errors without acknowledging that it was a problem because it was unfair of me to make assumptions of others because of one mistake they made. As I write this, I am kind of annoyed that I didn't learn about this psychology concept earlier. I should have known this as a child. 

The most insightful perspective I heard in the video was a woman who talked about a person she used to judge a lot but over time realized that the person was actually a friendly and well-rounded person. The reason she judged the person was that the person smoked. She grew up knowing that smoking was bad and had relatives that suffered from lung cancer. To be frank, I would probably also act like her if I was in her situation. Over time, however, she learned that the person participated in a lot of clubs and was an excellent student, which caused her to reconsider her initial impressions. Her brief anecdote amplified the fact that I let first impressions determine a person's character, which is wrong. 

What made this perspective very thought-provoking was that I used to never feel bad for judging people that smoked as I would avoid them or make fake coughing sounds. After watching the video, however, I feel like my actions make me a total jerk. They know that smoking is bad, but they can't stop because it is addictive. I don't need to make them feel worse by making a coughing sound or looking at them critically. If I was in their situation, I would probably justify my actions by saying that "I was peer pressured into smoking and then one cigarette made me addicted for life." My previous statement probably does not represent what smokers would say. When I get older and know people my age that smoke, I might be more accepting or tolerant of others even though I find that habit to be unhealthy.