Why People Blame Others

Catch blame shifting before it spreads 😷
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Humans are complicated: a tangled web of amazing biology and bad behaviours. This illustrated field guide will equip you with the necessary tools to navigate the lying, jealous and judgmental tendencies of your fellow humans. This week we explore blame-shifting 👈
My Twitter / nessyhill | Instagram / nessyhill
BrainCraft was created by Vanessa Hill (@nessyhill) and is brought to you by PBS Digital Studios. Talking psychology, neuroscience & why we act the way we do.
This episode was written by Bahar Gholipour and filmed by Dominique Taylor. Animations by Vanessa Hill.
A big thank you to Mike Rugnetta for his help improving the audio from the previous version. Thank you also to Joe Hanson for his thumbnail advice.
REFERENCES 📚
Fast, N. J., & Tiedens, L. Z. (2010). Blame contagion: The automatic transmission of self-serving attributions. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 46(1), 97-106.
www.sciencedir...
Lee, F., & Tiedens, L. Z. (2001). Who's being served?“Self-serving” attributions in social hierarchies. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 84(2), 254-287.
www.sciencedir...
Mason, R. O. (2004). Lessons in Organizational Ethics from the Columbia Disaster:: Can a Culture be Lethal?. Organizational Dynamics, 33(2), 128-142. www.sciencedir...

[@braincraft]

Catch blame shifting before it spreads 😷 ...hope you enjoy the new series! And yes: this is a reupload. I consulted the audio doctor earlier, and the diagnosis was "one of your vocal tracks also got inverted somehow, which causes really bizarre phase cancellations you wont hear in a good number of listening situations, especially on mobile." Thanks to everyone for pointing this out - I was only listening with headphones so I couldn't figure out what was going on. ...I take full responsibility for the error.

[@PhiloSage]

BrainCraft just a perfect example for the message of the video!

[@ParallelPenguins]

BrainCraft Does Blame-Sharing have similar effects? I find I do this a lot. If something is my fault I’ll say so but usually there is blame to share and then I feel like I can’t honestly take all the blame or the issue won’t get fixed so I’ll share the blame with whoever else caused the problem. Is that an ok behaviour?

[@xrenynthemusicmage6422]

Come on, that's not your fault. How should you have been avoiding that mistake?

[@CraftyF0X]

What an unrealistic scenario is the premise of this video.... I mean what do you mean by "my boss screwed up" ? xD =)

[@Nightcoffee365]

I shift blame *to* myself all the time and I can’t stop. Help me. It hurts. It always hurts.

[@finchborat]

Sometimes in life, it actually is someone else's fault. It's one thing if you're blaming someone else for something you 100% did. It's another thing if the person you're blaming actually played a part in whatever happened.

[@peacewillow]

not taking personal responsibility for your own actions and, even more importantly, your reactions to the actions of others, has become a disease more deadly than any other on earth. thank you for addressing the topic. 💕

[@ryanliberty]

This is going to be my new favorite series! Thank you for doing this. 💓

[@DuluthTW]

I had two older sisters that blamed me for all their bad deeds, but I always told my parents when something was my fault. Eventually, my sisters learned that they couldn't lie because my mom knew I would tell the truth no matter the cosequences. Truth and owning up to faults are always the best policy. I look forward to the rest of these episodes. Thanks for sharing!

[@ken..4492]

I wish i had a mom like yours my mom blamed ma

[@nikereebokpuma3406]

I'd love to be your sister's brother! ❤❤

[@seabb]

I love how everything was written in a notebook and flipped through at the end, and all the credits were in the front cover :) that’s such a neat touch.

[@MateusAntonioBittencourt]

It's amazing that when someone tries to shift blame (and we've all done it one time) the reason is to try make ourselves look better... but in the end has the opposite effect. My respect for someone assuming their mistakes goes through the roof... while it tanks when I see someone trying to shift blame. The worst is that in a corporate environment it usually works... and I think that's why it's so prevalent in it.

[@reelgagtv3953]

Not really if it was just 2 people. Then no one else knows the truth beside yourself. And trust me, it still hurt

[@user-df3gv3cb6h]

i get blamed for someone else mistakes and now they won't forgive me

[@nikereebokpuma3406]

I'd rather you blame me, Then...I can apologize to you for it! ❤

[@marksison3955]

people nowadays are so toxic, you cant interact with them...

[@PinkYellowGreen2023]

You will never win by blaming others. Blaming people only creates hostility and never leads to anyone accepting the thing or situation you are blaming them for.

[@カバルナハンナミツチ]

This is one of my favorite channels on youtube.

[@mattmussett-ho3ht]

Its easy to overlook your own mistakes and pass the blame Most people become defensive

[@sittingstill3578]

If you take responsibility for your own mistakes, you can expect those around you to be accountable and do the same especially if you have some authority. This has a lot to do with fairness, justice and truth. The less truthful a culture the more there is blame shifting or negating that refuses to resolve an issue. Admitting blame allows the building of trust because it provides a criteria on which progress can be made because there is an intelligent, self aware agent behind the action. Over time even if that person proves less than completely reliable, at least there is data on which to build expectations.

[@R.Instro]

Sitting Still said: "If you take responsibility for your own mistakes, you can expect those around you to be accountable and do the same especially if you have some authority." I respond: Ehhhh. Maybe. Then again, the strategy has a _strong_ pay-off: namely, that those folks who successfully blame-shift aren't penalized while other (potential competitors) are. That will _always_ be enough incentive for some to engage in the behavior.

[@techjeff6227]

Love, respect, and endless thanks for all of your efforts to help us all better understand how we became that which we call ourselves!

[@Fiona-ei9ly]

Thank brainCraft love your video

[@laurieberry4814]

I feel like people blame their problems on me. In the bookstore there was a book about anti racism. Of course I know it is about my people. If I am wrong, I would feel lie a fool. I have seen myself being wrong before. But self blaming is destructive. My family tells me to blame myself. When I stop, I tell them I am scared. Then they blame me. I don’t really think about blame. But I heard angry women when I was in high school.

[@be451]

This has helped alot with my studies💞 great video &I love the animation 👍

[@martinathom5167]

my ex blamed me for our relationship ending, fair enough I ended it because it was a long distance relationship that was too emotionally difficult for me to maintain. he stated I should have come and visited him. I hadn't seen him in over 2 years. but I told him honestly I couldn't afford to go to china while in college, I just couldn't make the money to get to him.

[@tlamiczka]

0:19 Love the "What?" head move :D Exactly how you feel when someone tries to blame you for his/her own mistake :-)

[@RobinLewisMakes]

0:25 "But that doesn't mean we should do it" I know people LIKE to shift blame but do some of them actually think it's ok?! Do some people have that much of a warped sense of personal responsibility?! It's crazy that you have to point it out as bad!

[@eyesofnova]

Politicians from both sides of the isle are the biggest blame shifters ever.

[@youcefbekhti]

Vanessa! Love your work. Can you talk about psychology of relationships or how can someone deal with a partner in some common situations ? Thanks :)

[@sudhasudha652]

Valium,vathanayum avaravarku vantha thaan purium,pilaika thariyathava naan kidayathu,all out of jealous,I'll come soon

[@anthonynguyen2127]

Oh boy I can't wait!

[@PoseidonXIII]

Great video series idea, we could all benefit a great deal from it. :D

[@BrunodeLima90]

It's not me, Vanessa makes me procrastinate.

[@Casey_Jones]

Still going to do a video on the illusion of asymmetric insight in this new series? Still my favorite!

[@braincraft]

This is a great idea - thank you for the suggestion!

[@TheGoblinoid]

I love this!

[@corneliaeleanore3215]

I believe behavioral contagion can happen with many other behaviors

[@hectt11able]

Hi Love your videos long time fan.....but can you try next time to not use such light colors when writing down small fraces? But other than that great job

[@ArnimSommer]

I like that notebook, where did you find it?

[@amyc.513]

I agree

[@JustABoyo]

The Subtitle is all kinds of broken

[@2Balls2Furious]

I’m digging the Kim Jong-Il costume

[@SnoopyDoofie]

Do a video on why Americans are stuck with two parties while most other countries have a lot more. How on earth can a country with over 300 million people end up in a binary state? As if there are not enough diverse opinions that should warrant more parties.

[@onemadscientist7305]

Quick answer : they have a very bad voting system. If you want a long answer, you should probably watch CGP Grey's video on the electoral college.

[@o3o82]

Im watching this for purpose

[@niiii_niiii]

0:54.... Pandemic you say...🤔

[@sciblastofficial9833]

“crappy” DEMONETIZED

[@sciblastofficial9833]

I blame it on Extreme KZbin. It demonetizes any swear words.

[@kirti9858]

What is this behaviour sahiba?

[@TheArhive]

How to avoid shifting blame? Don't do it apparently :P

[@josephpaul8911]

I hope a certain minority group takes heed to this. Weve had enough of your victimhood.

[@cheefqueef6494]

literally me

[@TheChamp1971]

I blame Vanessa from Australia..... for making me subscribe to BrainCraft and watching these videos week after week.

[@Me-lz3ob]

Hahaha!

[@JamilaJibril-e8h]

😂😂😂😂😂 from Australia

[@Throughthelurkingglass]

Be wary of people who blame all their problems on other things or circumstances, eventually they'll find something to blame you for.

[@JamilaJibril-e8h]

Am still asking nicely.... It's not me

[@melissayes3161]

I love Muse's 'Blame Contagion': You've been bitten by Someone more guiltier than you!

[@aviralrastogi]

Looking forward to the series so I can avoid the bad behaviour!!

[@Jackal_Blitz]

Is this a result (or side effect) of congitive dissonance? For instance, if I think I am a good employee, and my boss blames me for something bad that happened, I would experience cognitive dissonance as a result. Would seeking a scapegoat then be a way for me to delude myself into continuing with my belief of my own awesomeness while not addressing the original problem?

[@drulli6]

I've seen this phenomenon a lot in things such as video games! I've thought a lot about this and noticed that bad players are much more susceptible to such behaviour than good players. There is this concept of "Elo hell", where bad players claim that they are unable to get higher rating because they consistently get bad teammates which is why they cant win more than 50% of the games they play at this low rating. I believe this inhibits their ability to get better at the game because they don't look at their own mistakes and try to improve on them, but rather they think they don't make any mistakes at all and blame the failure on the team so they never improve!

[@scarlett5554]

league of legends.

[@pell6825]

Yah, this is a sad truth.

[@cheefqueef6494]

Wingsofredemption lol

[@mrdrprof8402]

This is something I think a lot about when I play video games. In highly competitive games it can be real easy to spot mistakes in your teammates but more difficult to spot your own. Often, others failures do in fact result in your own failure. But that is not always true and even when it is true there are usually things you can do to improve the situation. If you're constantly blaming other people for all of your failure you won't find these things and you'll never improve.

[@johnjhill3]

As more people become aware of toxic behavior, and learn to recognize it as it happens, and gain the courage to call it out at the moment, perhaps all social activities will generally improve.

[@hawwaahmed772]

I've tried calling it out ,and it only got worse, sometimes it's better to numb your heart and get an engrossing hobby like crocheting.

[@gokuldinesh8851]

I love the way you made the pencil roll over 😍

[@BrandonMcEachern19]

I'm excited about this series.

[@van5449]

The legend says if you're early, Vanessa will like, screenshot or even reply...

[@hyakinthos_0902]

take an clap from me

[@alinecardoso9668]

My father, he told me I can't handle my work, I've got pretty upset and angry so, instead of say sorry, he jus said: "I said nothing wrong, you are too nervous" and my mother argued at him about so, he came back and said: "it is your fault that your mother is arguing with me, you both wants to see me dead".

[@memyselfi9270]

Such an awesome and highly creative episode, I love it! :D

[@kevind814]

Not just self-image is at risk. One's entire future (political, financial) can be imperiled by those who must find a source of blame for every misfortune, accident, or innocent mistake.

[@CarxV_one]

Thanks I needed to watch or hear information about this topic, thanks the universe there´s science for these topics

[@mikelakner5622]

Just remember that blame (or fault more accurately) is not the binary system we pretend it is. We love to pin blame on an individual, ignoring things like a victims poor choices, people looking the other way and involved groups with higher purposes. Once in blame mode, logic seems to be out the door. We often substitute the "good enough" blame for fault.

[@woofquackm]

Why are pessimistic people more likely to blame shift. Pessimism is only seeing that failure is more likely than success. I would think that probably makes it part of good science

[@BadEconomyOfficial]

But blame is important in life, without blame we can’t heal or have peace, and NOT in all cases but in some cases, victim blaming is the right approach.

[@NoelleMar]

I wonder about pessimism--a lot of pessimists I know blame themselves for a lot of things, even things that aren't out of control. Maybe it's when pessimism is combined with apathy? I wish this kind of information were taught in schools (in age-appropriate language etc.). Imagine if people were more self-aware from the time they were young! Great video.

[@Tjousk]

I don't, everything is my fault.

[@AtenaHena]

How can you tell when you’re blame shifting and when it’s not your fault

[@stupidystu]

Critical Thinking Skills For Dummies by Martin Cohen

[@MatthewSmith-sz1yq]

stu woooooooooooooooosh

[@R.Instro]

GuitraSchlong -- If only most cases lent themselves to fit that easy rule. Unfortunately, & as BrainCraft has pointed out before in other videos, often times "who did what" and "what effect(s) did it have" are largely a matter of perception rather than objective facts. Even "cause" & "effect" are debatable here: if I admit "performing the action," but I don't honestly believe my action "caused the thing," what then? *shrug*

[@reelgagtv3953]

The Guide to Shift Blame Rule 1: They're blaming their mistakes on me, EVERYTIME Rule 2: You see they shift-blame to someone else too. Rule 3: Obnoxiously loud and unneeded volume to embarrass you Rule 4: Always trying to blame other first, instead of finding out the solution or accept the things for what it is because of what it is. Small rule: Inconsistence argument, or as I like to call it, LIE Small rule 2: Always confidence, always believe they're right. Come on, nobody can be right all the time.

[@ken..4492]

My mom blamed me

[@FrolickingWithChelsea]

This looks like it's going to be a great series! Can't wait to see more!

[@petergerman3832]

Nice but not enough in depth, hopefully corrected in future episodes.

[@Poppy-yx8js]

I don’t think anyone has to take responsibility for a reaction to abuse. Many people disagree. For example- someone trying to blame a victim of cyberstalking and physical stalking for getting upset after 10 years of it is called victim blaming and shaming. Responsibility and ownership is always on the aggressor.

[@cherrytaly9765]

Finally ! ..the earlier sound was ...well,u know how it was !lol😆😉 Edit: btw nyc video!

[@nxxxxzn]

so that's what was wrong. ok.

[@cherrytaly9765]

hytlerson .. actually,there was no sound in some parts...i thought there was something wrong with my phone until I read comments and realised it's not just me..😅

[@jaxthedisintegrator8096]

Just happened to me today ☹️.

[@hrvojebartulovic7870]

Yes! Right! Stop blaming yourselves or others! Learn Feng Shui and blame the furniture!!!

[@engchoontan8483]

A blame B A thinks he is smart A blocks himself from progress, fixing the problem, letting the problem build up and accumulate, aggravate the problem, ... What is your job-scope.? What is your area.sss of responsibility.? Where is your friends and family and leader and ... Whose instructions are you following.? How to accord blame fairly.? When blaming others unfairly, who get exposed and discarded like used tissue.?

[@zillentdelta1339]

People- find their own Opinion and making sure its on one Person or more Tho its wrong opinion they stick with "NO,YOU ARE WRONG I AM CORRECT." One of the many reasons why i never want to be with others then next they tell you "tell me honestly what happened" Tell the truth that it wasnt you but then you are hit with a storm or tidlewave of "Dont lie,. *awkward stare and silence* tell me the truth" then you are punished for no Reason wasnt you they say "IT WAS YOU" honestly that would not be called Quot on Quote Family Quote on Qoute that would just be called Interogating dictatorship. Truly from one legend to another (talking about the reader) this is a source of toxiticy spreading and blame Virus just Smashes easily making its way to another host of thinking its a lie then the beating starts

[@MusiCaninesTheMusicalDogs]

This theory was created so people could blame me for things I didn't do! 😟

[@oskarrecon8151]

lol you mean like blaming god ,capitalism,weapons or drugs for the shitty behavior of individuals ,their parents and piers... nnnaahhh ., it wasn't me.,,.lolol., this hammer is just to good at squisshin heads..

[@sudhasudha652]

Blaming others is cheap,yalla uravugalum vittu pirichutu thanimai paduthytu adachutu nalla purusanayum kaikulla potu,pH Na ootu kakaetu yalla nalla kariyangalayum kaduthutu,,camara connection vachu international level a,oruthanoda nilaiyai telecast panna,avungaloda than manam yanna,yalla ideavum,murugan kavitha,abinaya,blame pannalanga varahi pathil sollatum,unga veetu visayangal yathuvum yanaku thariyutha,tharinjuko virumbala,ungaluku ethu daily nadanthaal yapdi erukum,nearly 17 yrs anupavikiraen

[@farhiyoahmedmohamed7445]

I am not Blane anyone but I don't want anyone to speak to me or talk about me or have any connections with no matter what is that too much to ask I am sick and tired mentally emotionally and physically all I want is live peaceful alone life and be happy does all I ask for nothing more nothing less is it too much ask for ?

[@GreenEyesPurpleDragon]

Goof statement.Most of the time it is the fault ofhers, either directly or because of how their actions affect you. Stop victim blaming

[@bairavibairava3317]

Yantha dog dy,complaining others,unpurusanum Neeyum padutha naduvula yarayum paduka podudy,enline a cross pannatha dead 🐕.

[@CloudySun09]

I can tell you with full confidence why we blame others. It in our sinful nature to blame. Where Adam messed up in the beginning, sin and corruption was created. Hence blame was also created. And there you go.

[@PatrikRasch]

I love your videos. They're really unique in their own way

[@braincraft]

This means a lot today - thank you :)

[@PatrikRasch]

I'm happy to hear :)! - Hope you're doing well

[@garethbeaton8414]

Of your blame for everything shud you apologize when you know its never bin your folt

[@DrJohannPryce]

Imagine a whole country watches one person like how do you even have time for that. Proves that people have most handed to them and then blame unfortunate people

[@ketsuekikumori9145]

It's simple, humans are selfish pricks, so don't be a selfish prick. Wait, am I blame shifting on humanity?

[@mileszhou3378]

Do not criticize,condemn or complain - Dale Carnegie “How to win friends and influence people”

[@sylviamartin3445]

www.sylviamartin.net/blame/ Bypassing Love And Making Excuses

[@justalex8355]

My cousin blamed me that I started a fight because she did this emoji “🙏🏻”and she started kicking me and hitting me and she thought she crashed

[@ingenide]

my brother took my laptop out of my room and put it on the ground and I didn't realize it and then my dad found out and then he yelled at me and hit me with it

[@donnierobinette3572]

You are an awesome artistic drawer and education communicator. Be proud. ;)

[@rudhisundar]

This is not applicable to the NARCISSISTS, they are responsible.

[@カバルナハンナミツチ]

What if you blame yourself?

[@ragnkja]

The captions don't seem to match what is said in the video at the time they're shown. This makes them extremely hard to use for their intended purpose.

[@aaronkorn]

How do you handle oppression by someone over you?

[@rodericogarcia7111]

Its alarming to future and chilldrens very truely backfire i see to them

[@kevinwest4047]

I only blame others because i,m never wrong or at fault, lol

[@LukeBurfordZA]

I’m perfect. That’s why!

[@Bramshevik]

Note: Blame shifting is how shit like fascism happens

[@nirvimm3301]

I'm a blamer. I want to change. I don't know how?

[@hawwaahmed772]

Omg this blame thing is dangerous.

[@dclark92064]

I don't get it...... but that's your fault.

[@colunizator]

This is basically russian politics in a nutshell