Catching yourself in the process of self-serving bias is most likely the result of
What Is the Self-Serving Bias?The self-serving bias is a type of cognitive bias that involves taking personal credit for successes while blaming negative outcomes on external factors. Although this bias sometimes means evading personal responsibility for your actions, the self-serving bias also acts as a defense mechanism that protects self-esteem. Show
The self-serving bias occurs in a wide range of settings, including school, work, interpersonal relationships, consumer choices, and sports. It is influenced by a range of different factors including locus of control, motivation, age, and culture Examples of the Self-Serving BiasThere are a number of different signs that the self-serving bias might be influencing how you attribute events. Let’s say you ace an exam. The self-serving bias would lead you to believe that it's because you studied hard. If you failed, on the other hand, you might believe it was because the teacher didn't explain the subject correctly, the classroom was too warm, or your roommate kept you up all night before the exam. All of these things may be true, but they’re not painting a complete picture of all the circumstances that led to your performance on the test. Some other examples of this bias:
Why Self-Serving Bias HappensThere are a few different factors that can influence whether or not people are likely to engage in self-serving explanations for behavior. Locus of Control Locus of control involves personal beliefs about the factors that cause different events to happen. Generally speaking, people tend to have either an internal locus of control or an external locus of control. A person with an
internal locus of control believes that they have a great deal of control over the events that happen in their life. They may take credit for the great things that happen, but it also sometimes means that they take the blame for things that are outside of their control. Someone with an external locus of control is more likely to attribute outcomes to outside forces. Instead of believing that they have the power to influence what will happen, they tend
to assume that nothing they do will have any impact and that only external factors determine what will happen. A person with an internal locus of control may feel good about their accomplishments, but they may also take on shame and guilt that don't really belong to them. A person with an external locus of control avoids this guilt, but they also tend to feel more helpless and powerless to control their fate. A person with an external locus of control is more likely to engage in self-serving explanations for failure than people with an internal locus of control. By taking credit for successes and assigning blame elsewhere for failures, they're able to protect their self-esteem. Motivational FactorsDifferent types of motivation can also influence the self-serving bias. When motivated by self-enhancement, people feel a need to use internal attributions for success and external attributions for failure in order to improve their view of the self. The image that people want to convey to others, or their self-presentation, also affects self-serving attributions. Taking credit for positive outcomes and placing the blame elsewhere for negative ones helps people present themselves to others in a more positive light. Age and SexAge and gender have been shown to influence the self-serving bias. Older adults tend to make more internal attributions—that is, credit themselves for their successes. Men are more likely to make external attributions, meaning they tend to blame outside forces for their failures. Cultural Influences Cultural influence can play a role in how frequently people engage in the self-serving bias. While this bias is quite widespread in the United States and Canada, it tends to be much less frequent in Asian countries. Individualist cultures such as the U.S. place a greater emphasis on personal achievement and self-esteem, so protecting the self from feelings of failure is more important. In collectivist cultures, people are more likely to attribute personal success to luck, and failures to lack of talent. There are some scenarios where self-serving bias is less likely. People in romantic relationships and close friendships may
tend to be more modest, for example. Your friends or your partner, in other words, keep you in check with honest criticism about when a bad situation might be at least partly your own doing. Impact of the Self-Serving Bias In many cases, this
cognitive bias allows you to protect your self-esteem. By attributing positive events to personal characteristics, you get a boost in confidence. By blaming outside forces for failures, you protect your self-esteem and absolve yourself from personal responsibility. One advantage of this bias is that it leads people to persevere even in the face of adversity. An unemployed worker may feel more motivated to keep looking for work if they attribute their joblessness to a weak economy, for instance, rather than some personal failing. An athlete might feel more motivated to perform well if they believe that their failure during a previous event was the result of bad weather rather than a lack of skill. How to Avoid the Self-Serving BiasWhile the self-serving bias is quite common, it can have a number of negative effects on decision-making. There are some strategies that may help you avoid this bias or prevent it from affecting your choices in detrimental ways.
Potential PitfallsWhile the self-serving bias can protect self-esteem, it can lead to people avoiding responsibility for their own actions. If they are unable to see the situation accurately, it means they may not learn anything from their own mistakes. Often when a person is
depressed or has low self-esteem, this kind of bias may be reversed: they’ll attribute positive outcomes to outside help or even luck, and blame themselves when bad things happen. Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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By Kendra Cherry
Thanks for your feedback! What causes selfThe self-serving bias is a distorted cognitive process and is typical for a multitude of reasons. Several reasons that one may be susceptible to the self-serving bias include an individual's need to improve their self-esteem, the natural optimism humans possess, or an individual's age or cultural background.
What is a selfself-serving bias. A readiness to perceive oneself favorably. people see themselves better than average. thinking of positives. take credit for successes and that outside forces did not have a factor.
What is an example of selfExamples of self-serving bias
A student gets a good grade on a test and tells herself that she studied hard or is good at the material. She gets a bad grade on another test and says the teacher doesn't like her or the test was unfair. Athletes win a game and attribute their win to hard work and practice.
What is selfThe self-serving bias is the tendency people have to seek out information and use it in ways that advance their self-interest. In other words, people often unconsciously make decisions that serve themselves in ways that other people might view as indefensible or unethical.
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