How often are you blamed for things that aren't your fault?
Or get credit for the good things that only happened because of you?
While in some cases people may actually receive negative feedback that is absolutely not their fault, there are often more nuances, where the person may not accept responsibility.
Conversely, people often take credit for good things that happen to them, when in reality it has very little to do with their actions.
This is an example of a common situation cognitive bias from which we can all suffer, known as Selfish Bias.
The self-serving bias shows that individuals tend to believe that their success is due to their own abilities and efforts, but attribute failure to external factors.
It is now believed that the reason so many people exhibit this prejudice is because protect their self-esteem.
On both counts, there is consistent evidence that people attribute success to their own efforts and abilities, but research also shows that some people are likely to attribute negative outcomes to external and internal factors, especially if they think it will allow them to improve.
This fits well with research on a growth vs. fixed mindsetwhere some people feel more comfortable with temporary setbacks and failures if they believe they can grow in this way.
In fact, in the 1970s, when scientists began studying these biases, one of the controversial aspects was how people often took credit for successes. This has not always been clearly demonstrated for self-protection against failure. There has been some debate as to whether this bias was indeed fact or fiction.
However, as more evidence was collected over time, studies have shown that self-serving bias is indeed real.
Examples of self-serving bias include:
What are the causes of bias?
Researchers believe that one of the main causes of this bias could be based on the perception of a threat to oneself if things go wrong. A 1999 meta-analysis Many previous studies have found evidence supporting the link between self-threat and people with a self-serving bias.
2008 research indicated that it is likely a combination of conscious and motivational processes (wanting to present oneself in the best light) that leads people to justify responsibility for desirable outcomes, but not undesirable outcomes.
After all, humans are a social species and aim to remain an integral part of society. in a group of their societytherefore anything that threatens their position in this society is considered a danger and is very stressful.
This bias could also be linked to a number of other biases we suffer from, including optimism And egocentric biases leading us to believe that our own actions are the cause of positive outcomes, and attribution bias linking negative outcomes to external factors.
There are also cases where personal or cultural aspects can lead to the opposite of a self-serving bias. In some cases where people are depressedor in less individualistic cultures, people may be more likely to attribute negative outcomes to themselves and positive outcomes to external factors. However, these are not always present. Other research has indicated that there is less difference between different cultures and self-serving bias is present all over the world, and research often reveals that the attribution difference decreases when culture is taken into account in research.
Interestingly, being in a group often modifies the impact of self-serving bias. Studies have shown that people are likely to have a stronger self-serving bias when working with strangers, but are less likely to suffer from bias when working with athletes on your team (1981 study), friends (2000 study) and those who have a close relationship (1998 study).
Out of control?
Another important aspect of determining who is likely to be most affected by self-serving bias is based on the person's attitude. locus of control. This is how much they believe they have control over things that affect them (internal locus of control), compared to others who believe they have less control and that external influences guide their lives more (external locus of control).
People with more than one external locus of control seem to suffer more from the selfish bias.
What is worrying is that since the 1960s, meta-analyses showed that in 2002, people thought their area of control was shrinking and becoming more external.
This means that they feel that external factors are more prevalent in their lives than their predecessors, and that people today have a stronger sense that many aspects of their lives are “”beyond their control“.
The result of this could be that in the future more and more people will feel like negative outcomes were not their fault, leading them to take less responsibility for their actions and their results.
Can the impact be reduced?
Fortunately, it appears that the impact of this bias can be reduced.
Research has shown that by making people aware of bias and the potential impact it can have, its impact can indeed be reduced.
By helping people develop a growth mindset, it is also possible that they will take more ownership of not only their successes, but also a desire to learn from their failures and use them as opportunities to improve. .
Additionally, we have seen that working in a close group where team members trust each other can lead to a reduction in self-serving biases and greater attribution of success to other group members, as well as greater responsibility for to challenges.
It is therefore essential that this form of education and training takes place in the classroom as early as possible.
And then, once people get older, continually check to see if bias can seep into your mindset, your work, and the way you view your successes and failures.
Creativity and Innovation Expert: I help individuals and businesses develop their creativity and innovation capabilities, so you can develop the next revolutionary idea that customers love. Editor-in-Chief of Ideatovalue.com and Founder/CEO of Improvides Innovation Consulting. Coach / Speaker / Author / TEDx Speaker / Voted as one of the most influential innovation bloggers.