Fundamental Attribution of Error - Essay Example

My father placed the sole blame on me for the situation without considering that there might be external factors at play. His error was that he assumed that I had no good reason for driving fast and he did not understand the situation fully. My father believed that the accident was a result of my nature as a reckless driver.

Due to my active participation in previous classes, I am stereotyped as a very studious person who spends hours studying for courses. It stems from the typical thinking that any person, who takes an interest in their course work and does well, spends day and night pouring over books. I am also a very social person and talk to a lot of different people, so people generally stereotype me as a very outgoing person who spends his nights out partying in clubs with a big group of friends.

The only part that is true about those stereotypes is that I do study hard for my courses but I do not spend hours poring over books. I believe in studying smart rather than studying for hours and hours. I am a socially active person but I am not very outgoing and do not spend my nights out partying. I prefer small gatherings and outings with close friends. After analyzing those stereotypes, I think that a few of my friends and acquaintances become biased in their subject of conversation with me. After assuming that I love partying late, they often invite me to go out with them to late-running parties.

People perceive me to be a social and outgoing guy whose life is in complete order and nothing is out of place. I don’t let my issues or problems show or come up too frequently which had led many people to believe that I am a well-adjusted person. I do have control over this perception and I believe if I open up a little more to people, the perception might change.

My past experiences have taught me that people see what they want to see in a person and their perceptive filters are slanted toward what they want to perceive. This futility led me to give up on correcting the wrong perceptions that people might have about me. However, I have learned that if you give up quickly, you lose on forming beneficial relationships. Changing and correcting perceptions takes time but it can be done. This is why I now believe that if I talk to people about some of the issues that are bothering me like my indecisiveness about plans or lack of vision about my career; then the perception of me as a guy whose life is in order might change.

The self-test is accurate to a certain extent since I do remain reserved around people. I do not open too much or too early and take my time in gauging them. I depend on myself and do not lean on other people for support. However, I do realize that I need support at times since I cannot remain strong all the time. For that, I have to make a conscious effort to open up and let my walls down.