Actor-observer bias occurs when a person makes situational allowances for their own mishaps. But when others make mistakes, they blame the person’s ability or character.
If a person stumbles as they walk, they might blame a bump in the sidewalk for causing their misstep. However, if they see someone else do the same thing, they might assume the person who tripped is clumsy or inattentive.
This is actor-observer bias. While it may seem relatively benign, it can impact your relationships with other people because it allows you to avoid accountability. If you blame your shortcomings on external influences, you may be less likely to strive for personal growth.
Additionally, actor-observer bias can lead to focusing on what you perceive to be flaws rather than trying to understand another person’s perspective.
Actor-observer bias occurs when you place more emphasis on how external influences affect your behavior and less emphasis on the impact of internal factors. Meanwhile, you take the opposite view when observing other people.
In reality, both internal and external factors can influence whether you succeed or fail at something.
Actor-observer bias is a type of attribution bias. In psychology, attributions are how people explain their own behaviors and the behaviors of others.
According to the American Psychological Association (APA), attribution theory involves behavioral influences that are dispositional (internal) or situational (circumstantial). The way a person perceives these attributions can lead to the actor-observer bias.
Signs of actor-observer bias
You may experience actor-observer bias if you:
- make quick judgments about other people
- ignore or downplay your own accountability
- make excuses for your own behavior
- have inconsistent expectations
| Judging oneself based on external factors | Judging others based on internal factors |
|---|---|
| You fail a test because the instructor is biased against you. | Your classmate fails a test because they haven’t studied enough to pass. |
| You lose your keys because you have a lot on your mind. | Your spouse loses their keys because they are careless. |
| You miss a deadline because you have too many demands on your time. | A colleague misses a deadline because they have weak time management skills. |
| You are late for lunch because of traffic. | Your friend is late for lunch because they didn’t prioritize it in their schedule. |
| You cry because you’ve experienced trauma or significant emotional upset. | Your family member cries out of self-pity. |
| Your car is rear-ended because the person behind you was following you too closely. | Another person’s car is rear-ended because they stopped too quickly. |
Personal experience
Imagine that you have a day filled with serious matters to think about, and the next day you can’t find your keys. Your experience suggests you lost your keys not because you’re careless, but instead because you were mentally distracted when you placed them somewhere.
If another person misplaces something, you may not be aware of the contributing factors they’ve experienced. Without that insight, it’s easy to assume they are simply careless.
Cultural influences
In cultures that value independence and personal accountability, the resulting belief that individuals control their own destiny can make it easy to blame them when something goes wrong.
Perception of self
The motivation to maintain a positive sense of self can influence whether you blame external factors when circumstances don’t go your way.
Attachment styles
A 2022 meta-analysis found a connection between negative attribution bias and anxious and avoidant attachment.
More research is needed to determine whether the actor-observer bias can stem from
Avoiding blame may help to prevent actor-observer bias.
When you attribute your own misfortunes to external circumstances, you blame those influences. Shifting your focus from that blame to your own accountability may reduce your bias.
You can also use empathy instead of blame when interpreting the actions of others. Rather than assuming they’re at fault for their own misfortune, you can think of possible circumstances that might have made things more difficult for them.
In addition to the actor-observer bias, other common biases include:
- Hostile attribution bias: people interpret neutral behavior as hostility
- Confirmation bias: the tendency for people to look for and find information that matches what they already know or believe
- Conformity bias: people agree with the opinions of a group in order to fit in
- Contrast effect: a person judges someone by comparing them to another person
- Halo effect: you focus on one great quality about someone and ignore all their other characteristics
- Fundamental attribution error: a person blames the behavior of others on their inherent characteristics, rather than situational influences
The actor-observer bias is similar to the fundamental attribution error. The main difference is that it includes comparing how people judge themselves and how they view other people.
Actor-observer bias refers to the way people judge themselves differently from others. They blame external influences for their own mishaps but assume other people bring misfortune upon themselves.
You can avoid experiencing actor-observer bias by adopting a new perspective that considers the external factors that may affect other people. This perspective enables you to shift your focus away from blame and toward empathy.
Taking accountability for your contributions to events or circumstances can also help.