The Fundamental Attribution Error

Reference Post

Note: Reference posts are where existing psychological terms are explained in full(Or, at least, as I understand them).

The Fundamental Attribution Error(FAE) is a term for the social tendency for people to blame the actions of other people on their inherent qualities, while excusing our own actions as a result of our circumstances. That is to say, that this is a core mentality behind hypocrisy.

Outward

The outward qualities of FAE manifest when we witness or hear about somebody doing something, and we write that off as a testament of who they really are. If a person commits a crime, the easiest solution to come to is that it's because they are bad people, they have poor judgement skills, or any number of other poor traits. Conversely, when somebody does something seen as good, it is because they are caring, thoughtful, patient, or some other positive quality. These two viewpoints are the center of the psychological manipulation which occurs in politics.

For a firsthand demonstration of this in action, I would suggest sitting in the passenger seat of a car being driven by someone with a tendency to yell at other motorists.

Inward

It is unlikely for an individual to truly see themselves as unreasonable, irrational, or outright evil. Yet many such people exist, people who are unwilling to listen to reason, to compromise, to change, behave, contribute, and so on.

It is because we as individuals are prone to consider ourselves as exceptions. 'People who cheat on tests are just lazy, but I was taking care of my sick child.' 'People who steal are greedy and irresponsible, but I have a family to take care of.' We rarely see ourselves as villains, rather those that have to circumvent social norms, or even laws, in order to do what we deem necessary. It becomes difficult to see ourselves as petty, or selfish, or thoughtless, callous, indignant, or any other terrible attribute. It usually takes the intervention of others for us to have the opportunity to see our real shortcomings.

Discretion

The fact is, though, that not all outward judgements of others are false, and not all inward excusing is without credence. It takes a fair amount of discretion to know when to place a label or to understand extenuating circumstances, and it is, for the vast majority, a better mentality to fault towards trust and self-improvement, than to prejudge.