Egocentrism and Failures in Perspective Taking
Piaget described children learning to recognize other perspectives. Adults can also anticipate differences in knowledge and motivation, yet still make errors when trying to see a situation from another person’s point of view.
THE IDEA
Egocentrism and Other Failures in Perspective Taking
Piaget described the stages by which the child conquers his or her egocentrism and comes to recognize that different actors can have different perspectives on the same object or event (Inhelder & Piaget, 1958; Piaget, 1926, 1928; see also Flavell, 1963, 1985). As Piaget noted, all people of normal intelligence not only learn to recognize the existence of differences in perspectives, they even gain some skill at anticipating specific sources of perceptual, cognitive, or motivational bias. What most psychologists fail to emphasize in discussing Piaget’s account of social development, however, is that this process never reaches fruition. Although some aspects of children’s egocentrism disappear through maturation and experience, adults continue to show important limitations in perspective taking.
When to use it
Improving communication in a team by first checking assumptions about what others know.
Designing user interfaces or products that account for the limited knowledge of new users.
Resolving interpersonal conflicts by explicitly discussing differing viewpoints and motivations.
Teaching children and adults to consider alternative perspectives in debates or decision-making.
FROM THEORY TO EVERYDAY LIFE
In practice
The Curse of Knowledge
A teacher assumes students understand a topic because she herself knows it well, failing to realize that novices lack her background. This egocentric bias leads to ineffective communication and teaching.
Misjudging a Colleague's Intentions
In a team meeting, you interpret a colleague's criticism as a personal attack because you assume your own perspective is obvious, ignoring that they may have different information or priorities.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
Put it to work.
Recall a recent disagreement where you assumed others shared your perspective. How might that assumption have contributed to the conflict?
Think of a time you were surprised by someone's reaction. What information were you missing about their point of view?
How can you actively practice perspective taking in your daily interactions to overcome your own egocentric biases?
References
- The Growth of Logical Thinking from Childhood to Adolescence — Inhelder, B. & Piaget, J. (1958)
- The Language and Thought of the Child — Piaget, J. (1926)
- Judgment and Reasoning in the Child — Piaget, J. (1928)
- The Developmental Psychology of Jean Piaget — Flavell, J. H. (1963)
- Cognitive Development — Flavell, J. H. (1985)
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION
Source texts
- Heuristics and Biases The Psychology of Intuitive Judgment (Thomas Gilovich, Dale Griffin, Daniel Kahneman)