Hostile Attribution Bias
Allow me to set t
he scene: It’s Saturday night and you are out at the local bar. Perhaps you’re with your buddies, catching up after the long work week, or maybe you’re with your significant other trying to enjoy a little romantic time together. In any case, the night is going well, fun is being had, and you are feeling great. You lean back against the bar, allowing yourself to soak up the moment, your eyes settle into a steady gaze…
And that’s when it happens: A deep, angry voice calls out from a nearby corner. “You got a problem or something?” the voice demands. You move your gaze to the source of the voice and discover a large-framed guy with a deep grimace, his narrowed eyes are glaring at you. “You must have a problem,” he demands, “since you’re standing there staring a me.” You feel your stomach tighten and you realize that your great night is over.
So… what the heck happened?
It’s called hostile attribution bias, and it basically means that the recipient finds provocation where provocation is lacking. In other words, the big, angry guy at the bar misinterpreted your neutral gaze as an aggressive threat – maybe because he was in a lousy mood, or maybe because he, himself, is an aggressive person. Studies have shown that aggressive people tend to attribute hostile intent in neutral situations more often than not.
To a carpenter, everything looks like a nail.
Hostile attribution bias is a big problem, because it’s hard to reason with someone who is quite certain that you are trying to start a fight. A person who feels attacked is less likely to engage in a reasonable discussion with his or her potential attacker. What’s worse, this aggressive misunderstanding can happen anywhere, and to anyone.
Even you
You’re on the freeway after a long day, traffic is bad, and you know it will take another forty minutes for you to get home. You’re tired, hungry and completely fed up with commuting. Suddenly, a car pushes over from the left lane, and cuts in front of you. It takes but a millisecond for your blood to boil with rage. Who the heck does that driver think he is? How dare he cut in front of you, the selfish #$@%! You sit glaring at the taillights of the offending car, your mind plotting all kinds of creative, bloody revenge – or worse, you speed up to teach the driver a lesson. You never even stop to think that maybe the other driver is having car trouble and needs to get to the shoulder before he stalls. Maybe he’s rushing someone to the hospital. Or, maybe he is simply tired, like you, and he made a mistake.
Call upon empathy
Understand that when you are assuming malicious intent in ambiguous situations that you are simply attributing actions to the internal state of the other person rather than observing situational cues. Recognize that this is fallacious thinking, and that you cannot possibly know what is happening in the mind of another person. Instead, take a breath and notice of your own physiological condition. Is your heart racing? Are you feeling stressed? Anxious? Perhaps a few deep breaths can help calm you down enough to view the situation rationally rather than make hasty decisions.
What if you’re the victim?
You don’t have to engage. That big guy at the bar may be barking, but it doesn’t mean he’s going to bite. Aggressive behavior doesn’t have to lead to acts of aggression. Understand that his actions have nothing to do with you, and that your ego is not on the line. A little clever banter and a friendly smile might be all you need to put your night back on track. If not – check out our training pages for some easy, liability-conscious methods of self-defense.
