THREE: Shaping Behaviors Exercise

As noted earlier, our sense of self is not always accurate.  Self-serving bias is a concept that illustrates this fact by exploring how we tend to view ourselves more favorably than warranted. We tend to place blame on others for negative situations, and often hold ourselves as the less responsible party.  This viewpoint can act as a defense mechanism that is effective in terms of coping with disappointment in the short-term, but has long-term consequences that can lead to several areas of conflict with others, and a distorted sense of self.

• Write a 1-page double-spaced paper in which you explore an example where you demonstrated a self-serving bias.    Ensure the following points are addressed:

• • How did that belief bias lead to a false conclusion that you made, or inaccurate reflection of the self?
  • Was the bias adaptive or maladaptive (provide your reasoning)?