Question

1) What is an example of a situation in which you commit the fundamental attribution error and how can you change this behavior?

Answer 1

Our tendency to explain someone's behavior on the basis of internal factors, such as personality or disposition, and underestimating the influence that external factors, such as situational influences, have on another person's behavior is termed the fundamental attribution error. For example, we might’ explain the fact that someone is unemployed based on his character, and blame him for his plight, when in fact due to a sluggish economy he was recently laid off. We can change this behavior by being objective and aware of it and trying to overcome it consciously.