<p>Your first paragraph, in particular, reminds me of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fundamental_attribution_error" rel="nofollow noreferrer">'fundamental attribution error'</a>:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>... the fundamental attribution error (FAE), also known as the
  correspondence bias or attribution effect, is the claim that in
  contrast to interpretations of their own behavior, people place undue
  emphasis on internal characteristics of the agent (character or
  intention), rather than external factors, in explaining other people's
  behavior.</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-17T15:07:52.450Z
I thought that but then is it a cognitive bias at all?  Or is it projection or reaction formation as described in the possible duplicate?
Chris Rogers
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-17T11:18:46.093Z
2018-04-17T11:18:46.093Z
Steven Jeuris
<p>I haven't been in cognitive sciences for long, but in my work I have noticed a curious pattern: Individuals who overwhelmingly attribute the responsibility of their own actions to external causes, accuse others of behavioral patterns that represent the same patterns that they themselves do not accept to be guilty of.</p>

<p>Or maybe it's the other causal direction; they see others being guilty of certain behavioral patterns and subconsciously start behaving in the same ways.</p>

<p>For example: A patient who sees sexual predators in most men, sometimes in very subtle behavioral traits, accuses her partners of not respecting her decisions, of reversal of guilt, etc. However in the process of the accusation, she is unable to accept her partners' decisions ("He doesn't want to continue the relationship, but he doesn't care that I want to"), is uncompromising (Does not accept to establish a basis of communication) and blames them for her lack of communication ("I should not have to always be able to show you what I don't want, it is your responsibility to know."). </p>

<p>What I am interested in is; is there science on this that confirms my observation, or even a name or field of research for it? If yes, are there explanations on why this paradoxical attribution of responsibility happens?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-17T00:31:41.607Z
Possible duplicate of [Is there a term that describes the behaviour of a person which transfers personal problems to other people and tries to solve them there?](https://psychology.stackexchange.com/questions/10993/is-there-a-term-that-describes-the-behaviour-of-a-person-which-transfers-persona)
Arnon Weinberg
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-17T11:11:32.607Z
@ArnonWeinberg Not so much a duplicate question, as [the answer to that question](https://psychology.stackexchange.com/a/10996/21) ('projection' in particular) might incidentally answer this one as well. :) Don't know the best way to deal with this. I would be okay with you answering again here.
Steven Jeuris
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2018-04-17T11:26:14.737Z
@StevenJeuris - imo questions should be dupe-closed only when there is a dupe question. Answers with similar content on different questions do not warrant closing a question. Questions with slight different nuance become more common as a site matures. That shouldn't lead to massive dupe-closing. Exact duplicate answers (copy-paste) are obviously discouraged, as the questions will likely differ a bit.
AliceD
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-17T18:42:00.453Z
@ArnonWeinberg I think it might just be projection, does projection appear in those subtle subconscious forms? Take the example from my question: is it just ironic that she makes the same mistakes that she accuses others of (in the process of accusing them!), or is there a subconscious mechanism / would that be projection?
Olfway
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-17T18:58:46.753Z
I only answered the terminology part of the question.  These types of defense mechanisms are typically explained using [cognitive dissonance](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_dissonance) and/or [self-perception](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-perception_theory) theories, but these theories are not so straightforward to apply to broad patterns of behaviour, so I prefer not to speculate too much.
Arnon Weinberg
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-18T08:56:16.190Z
@Olfway If you want more information, I suggest you read up on some of the terminology now provided to you, so that you can potentially ask a new more targeted question, based on terminology used in literature (adding some references to these would be great!).
Steven Jeuris
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-04-22T04:29:20.497Z
This may not be the answer you’re looking for. External locus-of-control belief individuals tend to blame everyone and everything else to preserve their egos from feelings of being wrong, imperfect or inadequate. To them, the world (eg people eg human nature) is unfair, flawed and happens to them by “bad luck” and/or other “evil forces out to get them.” It’s also a way of projecting and transferring flaws to others. It’s also a Putin-like gambit to accuse someone else of what one did in order to preemptively defuse the true victim’s accusation as merely a reflexive copy.
dhchdhd
<cognitive-psychology><social-psychology><terminology><bias>
Bias of finding others guilty of own shortcomings
Olfway
# Bias of finding others guilty of own shortcomings

(Asked by: username_0 on 2018-04-15)

I haven't been in cognitive sciences for long, but in my work I have noticed a curious pattern: Individuals who overwhelmingly attribute the responsibility of their own actions to external causes, accuse others of behavioral patterns that represent the same patterns that they themselves do not accept to be guilty of.

Or maybe it's the other causal direction; they see others being guilty of certain behavioral patterns and subconsciously start behaving in the same ways.

For example: A patient who sees sexual predators in most men, sometimes in very subtle behavioral traits, accuses her partners of not respecting her decisions, of reversal of guilt, etc. However in the process of the accusation, she is unable to accept her partners' decisions ("He doesn't want to continue the relationship, but he doesn't care that I want to"), is uncompromising (Does not accept to establish a basis of communication) and blames them for her lack of communication ("I should not have to always be able to show you what I don't want, it is your responsibility to know.").

What I am interested in is; is there science on this that confirms my observation, or even a name or field of research for it? If yes, are there explanations on why this paradoxical attribution of responsibility happens?

**Tags:** cognitive-psychology, social-psychology, terminology, bias

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Possible duplicate of [Is there a term that describes the behaviour of a person which transfers personal problems to other people and tries to solve them there?](https://psychology.stackexchange.com/questions/10993/is-there-a-term-that-describes-the-behaviour-of-a-person-which-transfers-persona)  
> **username_2**: @ArnonWeinberg Not so much a duplicate question, as [the answer to that question](https://psychology.stackexchange.com/a/10996/21) ('projection' in particular) might incidentally answer this one as well. :) Don't know the best way to deal with this. I would be okay with you answering again here.  
> **username_3**: @StevenJeuris - imo questions should be dupe-closed only when there is a dupe question. Answers with similar content on different questions do not warrant closing a question. Questions with slight different nuance become more common as a site matures. That shouldn't lead to massive dupe-closing. Exact duplicate answers (copy-paste) are obviously discouraged, as the questions will likely differ a bit.  
> **username_0**: @ArnonWeinberg I think it might just be projection, does projection appear in those subtle subconscious forms? Take the example from my question: is it just ironic that she makes the same mistakes that she accuses others of (in the process of accusing them!), or is there a subconscious mechanism / would that be projection?  
> **username_1**: I only answered the terminology part of the question.  These types of defense mechanisms are typically explained using [cognitive dissonance](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_dissonance) and/or [self-perception](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-perception_theory) theories, but these theories are not so straightforward to apply to broad patterns of behaviour, so I prefer not to speculate too much.  
> **username_2**: @username_0 If you want more information, I suggest you read up on some of the terminology now provided to you, so that you can potentially ask a new more targeted question, based on terminology used in literature (adding some references to these would be great!).  
> **username_4**: This may not be the answer you’re looking for. External locus-of-control belief individuals tend to blame everyone and everything else to preserve their egos from feelings of being wrong, imperfect or inadequate. To them, the world (eg people eg human nature) is unfair, flawed and happens to them by “bad luck” and/or other “evil forces out to get them.” It’s also a way of projecting and transferring flaws to others. It’s also a Putin-like gambit to accuse someone else of what one did in order to preemptively defuse the true victim’s accusation as merely a reflexive copy.  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2018-04-17. Score: 1

Your first paragraph, in particular, reminds me of the ['fundamental attribution error'](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fundamental_attribution_error):

> ... the fundamental attribution error (FAE), also known as the
> correspondence bias or attribution effect, is the claim that in
> contrast to interpretations of their own behavior, people place undue
> emphasis on internal characteristics of the agent (character or
> intention), rather than external factors, in explaining other people's
> behavior.

> **Comments:**
> **username_5**: I thought that but then is it a cognitive bias at all?  Or is it projection or reaction formation as described in the possible duplicate?  

---

