Self-Perception Theory

Self-perception theory describes how people form new attitudes and beliefs, including those related to the self, from observing their own behavior. In 1965, Daryl Bem proposed that people deduce their own internal [Page 701]states, like attitudes and emotions via the same processes by which they deduce the internal states and dispositions of others. Specifically, when people attempt to explain the behavior of another individual, they can assume the attitudes, beliefs, and other internal characteristics of the actor by observing the actor's behavior and the external ...