There's an old saying that goes "As sure as death and taxes" meaning two things seemingly unavoidable, but I like to add a third almost impossible to dodge event in our lives: Attributional tendencies.
First, let's go over into what attributions are and their effect on how we interpret the world around us. Attributions, simply put, are inferences that people draw about the cause of events, others’ behavior, and their own behavior.
This "guessing" of the way things happened in the way they do, or why people react in a specific manner, are categorized as internal or external attributions.
Internal Attributions ascribe the causes of behavior to personal dispositions, traits, abilities, and feelings. ( Ex. "I won because I'm great" or "I lost because I always do")
External Attributions ascribe the causes of behavior to situational demands and environmental constraint. ( Ex."I won because the wind was in my favor" or "I lost because the universe hates me")
There is also the need for some of us to focus on the stability of underlying behavior and attribute it to either success or failure in life. For some of us Stable condition will lead to unchanged outcomes of people or events, and for other the Unstable conditions, will lead them to blame everything, success or failure to uncontrollable factors.
As a mormon I sometimes feel judging people under a light that suits my views, but is that Christlike? Of course is not. We all have our biases and sometimes we are too soft or harsh to ourselves, independently to our way to judge.
This knowledge is paramount to judge people, events, and even ourselves, under the appropriate light. It is an important tool in class that can help us understand our students and their views.
No, no everything is always our fault, and yes sometimes it is, the important thing to remember is that an impartial look at the facts is almost impossible to do, but if we cultivate a more comprehensive view of the world, we'll come to the conclusion that we all have shortcomings, that failure and success are part of our temporary existence and that we can contribute to our success as well as to other's success too.
Great summary Carlos! I think all of us have atribuition biases and it is paramount to try to see people as the Lord sees them. Our tendency to judge others by our standards Is wrong . I remember the words of madre Teresa” It you judge people, you have no time to love them”.We have. a tendency to think our way is the :”right way” , the teachings from these lessons have been eye-opening, they help us understand and appreciate diversity in all things.
ResponderEliminarHello Carlos, good analisys! I like the part as your said "we cultivate a more comprehensive view of the world", We as teacher need to do it, and avoid make judge, we have to ask students for obtain information and after judge. Thank you.
ResponderEliminar"Failure and success are part of our temporary existence" I loved this sentences.Also we are here on this world to learn all this stuff to failure, to progress, to have success, and learn with all this experiences.
ResponderEliminar