self-serving bias
Credit-hogging thought pattern
Self-serving bias is the tendency to attribute successes to one's own abilities while blaming failures on external factors.
A student who aces an exam credits hard work; one who fails blames the teacher or test.
The bias protects self-esteem but distorts accurate self-assessment.
His self-serving bias made him impossible to give feedback to.
Biased cognition favoring preferences
- social comparisonEvaluating oneself relative to others
- attribution theoryHow we explain behavior
- cognitive dissonanceDiscomfort from contradictory beliefs
Excessive admiration of oneself
- vanityExcessive pride in oneself
- arroganceExcessive self-importance
- conceitExaggerated self-admiration
- superiorityHigher rank or quality
hubris · egotism · grandiosity · boastfulness · smugness · overconfidence · pride · entitlement
State of not knowing
- denialRefusal to accept reality
- obliviousnessLack of awareness
- selective attentionFiltering relevant from irrelevant
- willful ignorancePurposely remaining uninformed
Reason proving rightness
- excuse-makingExplaining away fault
- defense mechanismUnconscious self-protective mental process
- explanationStatement making something clear
- alibiDefense of location
pretext · distortion · reframing · spin · minimization · denial · vindication · legitimization
Attributing fault to others
- performance evaluationAssessment of job effectiveness
- scapegoatingUnfairly assigning fault to innocents
- finger-pointingAssigning blame openly
motivated reasoning
Biased cognition favoring preferences
- social comparisonEvaluating oneself relative to others
- attribution theoryHow we explain behavior
- cognitive dissonanceDiscomfort from contradictory beliefs
narcissism
Excessive admiration of oneself
- vanityExcessive pride in oneself
- arroganceExcessive self-importance
- conceitExaggerated self-admiration
superiority · hubris · egotism · grandiosity · boastfulness · smugness · overconfidence · pride · entitlement
unawareness
State of not knowing
- denialRefusal to accept reality
- obliviousnessLack of awareness
- selective attentionFiltering relevant from irrelevant
willful ignorance · blind spot · overlooking · disregard · selective memory
justification
Reason proving rightness
- excuse-makingExplaining away fault
- defense mechanismUnconscious self-protective mental process
- explanationStatement making something clear
alibi · pretext · distortion · reframing · spin · minimization · denial · vindication · legitimization · mental gymnastics
blame-shifting
Attributing fault to others
- performance evaluationAssessment of job effectiveness
- scapegoatingUnfairly assigning fault to innocents
- finger-pointingAssigning blame openly
- social psychologysocial behavior, conformity, social influence, attribution, groupthink
- biaseshalo effect, horn effect
- cognitive biasesframing effect, halo effect, loss aversion, horn effect, Dunning-Kruger effect
- rationalizationsdenial, minimizing, deflection, sour grapes, victim blaming
- self-deceptiondenial, delusion, wishful thinking, rationalization, willful blindness
- thinking errorsad hominem, straw man, slippery slope, sunk cost fallacy, false dilemma
self-serving biasself-blame
Attributing fault to oneself
personal responsibility · taking responsibility · modest · humble · mea culpa
self-serving biasself-deprecation
Belittling oneself deliberately
self-criticism · low self-esteem · humility · self-doubt · modesty
self, bias, serving, biased, served, unbiased, server, serves, servitude