Psychology Commons^™

Self-Serving Bias, Donelson R. Forsyth

Jepson School of Leadership Studies articles, book chapters and other publications

A self-serving bias is any cognitive or perceptual process that is distorted by the need to maintain and enhance self-esteem. When individuals reject the validity of negative feedback, focus on their strengths and achievements but overlook their faults and failures, or take more responsibility for their group’s work than they give to other members, they are protecting the ego from threat and injury. These cognitive and perceptual tendencies perpetuate illusions and error, but they also serve the self ’s need for esteem.