Overview & Description:

The Fundamental Attribution Error (FAE), also known as correspondence bias, is a cognitive bias wherein individuals tend to overemphasize internal, dispositional factors and underestimate external, situational factors when explaining the behavior of others. In other words, we tend to believe that people act in a certain way because “that’s just who they are,” rather than considering the situational influences that might have affected their behavior.

Examples:

• If someone cuts you off in traffic, you might think they’re a bad driver or a rude person (internal attribution), rather than considering they might be rushing to an emergency (situational factor).

Implications:

1. Social Interactions: This error can lead to misunderstandings and misjudgments about others, potentially causing conflicts and negative assumptions.
2. Workplace & Leadership: Managers may misjudge the reasons for an employee’s performance without considering situational challenges they might be facing.
3. Mental Health: Overattributing one’s own failures to personal shortcomings (and not situational factors) can lead to negative self-esteem or feelings of helplessness.

References:

• Ross, L. (1977). The intuitive psychologist and his shortcomings: Distortions in the attribution process. Advances in experimental social psychology, 10, 173-220.