Evaluation and Judgment

Evaluation and Judgment

Part 1 What are the different ways we evaluate people?

The different ways we evaluate people is by their looks, how they behave, what they drive, what kind of job they have, and what kind of education they have. The first impression you get of a person is begins with their outer appearance. If a person is not well dressed you may get the impression they do not make very much money and cannot afford to buy better clothing. However, if they are dressed in what looks to be high priced clothing accessorized with expensive jewelry you may get the impression they do have money and can afford to buy what they want. The saying “you can’t judge a book by its cover” comes to mind, but the truth is as humans we do (Morris & Maisto, 2010).

Part 2 How do these factors play a role in our expectations of other people?

These factors play a role in our expectations of people, because when we see people by looking at them we are to a certain degree on auto pilot. We already have an impression of how they should act based on what we believe about them. This could be in regard to a stereotype this individual falls under. For instance, if you meet a person for the first time, and they are wearing a bandana around their head, baggy jeans that are almost falling off, a tank top, and have tattoos all over their arms you may automatically have got the impression they are in a gang. These outer appearances do not mean they are in a gang, but may give off that impression to some people. When you assume a person is a certain way based on what you believe them to be you also expect them to act in that manner. In the case of a gang member you would expect them to act tough and use foul language when they communicate with others (Morris & Maisto, 2010).

Part 3 What are the disadvantages of these expectations?

The disadvantage to the expecting certain actions from others based on who you believe they are is then you may treat them differently than you would if you found out who they really were. As humans we have a problem with making judgments about people without knowing who they are. When this occurs you may choose not to like somebody that could have been a better friend to you than you could have ever imagined. Opposite of that if you had a first impression of an individual who becomes your partner, and you believed they were the best person for you when you first met them. Your partner may be abusive in your relationship, because you did not get to know who they were before you chose to be with them. Expecting people to be what you want them to be based on what you believe they are can lead you in the wrong direction, and may cause you to regret your choice for the rest of your life (Morris & Maisto, 2010).