People judge themselves by their intentions and others by their actions. For this reason, there is a difference between how others evaluate us and how we evaluate ourselves. This becomes most evident during performance reviews. The narcissism pandemic, particularly among the younger generation influenced by American psychology, has led people to believe they possess traits they do not have and to exaggerate the traits they do have. This development has also been fueled by parents convincing their children that they are ‘unique’ and that the world owes them something. As a result, the world is now filled with people who believe they have ‘rights’ but are unaware of their responsibilities. A thinker once said, ‘God, give me the strength to see myself as others see me,’ in an effort to bridge the gap between reality and our perception.
Our ancestors used to say, ‘Wisdom went to market, and everyone took their own.’ While a person may not believe they are the smartest in the world, they do believe they are smarter than those around them, which is why no one gives up on their own wisdom. How realistic are people when evaluating themselves? How much of our self-confidence is based on objective facts? Exploring these questions can provide both fun and enlightening results. To begin, it would be helpful to look at a study conducted in Seattle on the west coast of the United States.
About 30 years ago, two psychiatrists in Seattle asked fifty drivers the following question: “How would you rate your driving skill, alertness and mental state the last time you were behind the wheel?” Most of the drivers rated themselves and their state as ‘very good’ or ‘100%’. But what made it extremely interesting was that these interviews were conducted in a hospital and the drivers were brought in by ambulance. According to the police reports, 66% of the drivers were fully responsible for their mistake. M