Other Peoples Opinions

In a society where interaction is part of everyday life, and other people form a vital part of life, other people's opinions are actually important in where we fit into society. However, we often think we know what other people are thinking and base our actions around those 'apparent' opinions.

Yet how do we actually know whether our assumptions about other people's opinions are true or not? Frankly, we don't. This is where the Fundamental Attribution Error comes in. To put it into plain Engligh, it means that we make a basic error in assuming other people's thoughts without checking or otherwise knowing whether we are right or not in that assumption.

We base these assumptions on our schema of the world (another Psychology term which means a system of beliefs we have about how the world works from how to order food in a restaurant to how we 'should' live our lives). These schema are made up from our experiences in the world, with some schema being made up from other people's schema which we have picked up along the way: such as our parents' and friends' schemas.

Now mostly, these errors are fairly harmless: it is when we start living our lives entirely around what we think other people are thinking that it can become 'dangerous'. Many people fall into the trap of becoming practically obsessive about what other people are thinking of how we behave that everything that we do becomes subject to what we think other people are thinking.

So how do you stop being like that? First thing to do is to recognise when you are making these assumptions and when they are patently false, and put some kind of system in place to prevent yourself from getting caught up in the negative cycle. One useful technique is the Emotional Release technique taught in the Sedona Method where you can quicly overcome the obsessive nature that can sometimes come from the error. Another way is to understand why you have the schemas you do and to change them: often they are out of date and are not actually helpful (as they are supposed to be). They are also linked to the 'gremlins' (if you're British you might know the term from the recent spate of adverts on TV advertising education) - but that's a future article. Fundamentally though, to overcome harmful errors, it is all about understanding when you make them and stopping them spiral out of control.

Charlotte Burton is a Licensed Career Coach & Psychometric Assessor. For more information and to sign up for the ezine, view the website at http://www.lifeisvital.com or email charlotte@lifeisvital.com to request your complimentary consultation.

Latest News


NHL's star attraction hits Anaheim
OCRegister, CA - 3 hours ago
Alexander Ovechkin, whose Capitals face the Ducks on Wednesday, brings fun and talent to the rink. ANAHEIM - The top professional athlete who will visit ...

The attraction to magnet schools
Cincinnati.com, OH - 19 hours ago
Nothing brings out humans' competitive instincts like scarcity. In Cincinnati Public Schools, the scarcity of spots in magnet school programs has, ...

E! Online

Strange attraction: Kristin Stewart gets drawn into ‘Twilight’ zone
Boston Herald, United States - Nov 16, 2008
Bella first sees Edward in the cafeteria of their Pacific Northwest high school, and the mutual attraction is immediate. “Once you know something you can’t ...
Heart-throb The News Journal
Vampire lit hit, "Twilight" opens in St. Louis theaters St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Interview with a vampire: Twilight's Robert Pattinson Canada.com
Leader-Telegram - TheNewsTribune.com
all 792 news articles

Pizza’s the star attraction at The Rock
Woodinville Northwest News, WA - 2 hours ago
Pizza is the star attraction on the menu and you can choose from almost two dozen signature pies or build your own using a host of “Pizza Unplugged Toppings ...

New Ghostbusters Theme Park Attraction?
/FILM, MA - 22 hours ago
Remember the old Ghostbusters Spooktacular attraction at Universal Studios Florida? It was a special effects show with smokes, holographic ghosts, Slimer, ...

Learning about animal attraction
News-Sun, FL - Nov 16, 2008
By ROMONA WASHINGTON SEBRING - For years, youth in Highlands County have spent countless hours choosing, caring for, preparing and showing animals in the ...

Small, medium size enterprises gain more interest, attraction
Kuwait Times, Kuwait - 5 hours ago
The small and medium size enterprises are gaining more interest and attraction. More people have become interested in this field, but it consumes a lot of ...

From elephant cemetery to tourist attraction
New Straits Times, Malaysia - Nov 17, 2008
“Perhaps, it’s because of the strong family bond,” added Ahmad Karmizi who was leading a group of 40 Pressmen and travel agents to Gua Musang’s attractions. ...

Visitor attraction’s lottery aid
Shropshire Star, UK - 15 hours ago
A new visitor attraction in Ludlow has received a lottery boost of nearly £40000 which will help it to explain a fascinating part of the town’s history. ...

Locals rebuild Bluff Hut tourist attraction
ABC Online, Australia - Nov 17, 2008
It has been rebuilt in recent months by local cattlemen, with the help of Parks Victoria, volunteers and businesses. Graeme Stoney helped his father build ...

Resources