Fundamental Attribution Error

Definition

Fundamental attribution error is the tendency for people to overemphasize dispositional attributes for others' behavior while underestimating situational influences.

Related terms

Actor-Observer Bias: The tendency to attribute our own actions to situational causes while attributing others' actions to their personality.

Self-Serving Bias: As mentioned earlier, this is the tendency for people to attribute their successes to internal factors and failures on external factors.

Just-World Hypothesis: The belief that people get what they deserve in life, an idea often used to rationalize inequality.