"The teacher was really angry today."
Kaito said. After class, the four were talking in the hallway.
"What happened?" Hiyori asked.
"I don't know. I just asked a question and suddenly they used a harsh tone."
Leo showed interest. "That's a good example of attribution theory."
"Attribution theory?"
"A psychological theory about how we explain the causes of people's behavior," Leo explained.
Sora took out her notebook. "So how we interpret why the teacher got angry?"
"Exactly."
Kaito said, "I think the teacher doesn't like me."
"That's internal attribution," Leo pointed out. "You're attributing the cause to the teacher's personality or attitude."
"Is that wrong?"
"There's another possibility—external attribution. Attributing the cause to situation or environment."
Hiyori suggested, "Maybe something bad happened to the teacher today."
"Like what?"
"Family problems, poor health, trouble in another class, etc."
Kaito thought. "True, there might be reasons for the teacher's bad mood besides me."
Sora added. "When explaining others' behavior, people tend to underestimate situation and overestimate personality. This is called the fundamental attribution error."
"So I decided 'the teacher is irritable' without considering their situation?"
"Exactly," Leo acknowledged. "But when explaining your own behavior, it's the opposite."
"What do you mean?"
"Say Kaito got angry at someone. You'd explain it as 'the situation made me do it.' But others would think 'Kaito is short-tempered.'"
Hiyori laughed. "Double standard."
"Also called self-serving bias," Sora added. "The tendency to think success is thanks to yourself, failure is due to circumstances."
Kaito reflected. "I was being pretty biased."
Leo continued. "But everyone does this. It's due to differences in perspective."
"Perspective?"
"Actors and observers see different information. Actors know the situation well, but observers only see the behavior."
Sora gave an example. "When Kaito is late, he knows 'the train was delayed,' but the teacher only sees the fact that 'Kaito was late.'"
"So the teacher thinks 'Kaito is careless about time.'"
"But it was really the train's fault."
Hiyori summarized. "So before judging someone's behavior, it's important to try to understand the situation."
"Yes. This is called situational perspective-taking," Leo explained.
Kaito resolved. "I'll try apologizing to the teacher. I'll ask 'Did something difficult happen?'"
"Good approach," Leo acknowledged. "Showing empathy might improve the relationship."
Hiyori smiled. "Kaito, you're growing."
"But," Sora said, "you need to be careful not to overlook real problems by considering situations too much."
"What do you mean?"
"For example, if someone constantly hurts people, and you keep defending them saying 'they're in a tough situation too,' you might end up enabling problem behavior."
Leo nodded. "Balance is important. Consider both situation and personality."
Kaito understood. "Understand the situation while also observing behavior patterns."
"Right. Don't judge from one action alone, observe multiple situations."
Hiyori added. "And if possible, confirm with the person. Just asking 'What's wrong?' can clear up misunderstandings."
Sora wrote in her notebook. "To avoid attribution errors: ①Consider situation ②Look at multiple cases ③Confirm with the person"
Kaito laughed. "Studying psychology makes me feel like I can be kinder to people."
"Because understanding deepens," Leo said. "But understanding and forgiving everything are different."
"Being empathetic without losing judgment."
"Perfect," Hiyori acknowledged.
The four went down the stairs. The journey to understand others' behavior is also a journey of self-understanding.
"When I see the teacher, I'll first ask about their situation," Kaito said.
"I'm sure it'll be a good conversation," Sora encouraged.
Why did that person get angry? There's not just one answer.