Exploring the Adaptive Nature of Self-Serving Biases

1. There are two different views when looking at self-serving biases. The first is that a self-serving bias is adaptive or is a good thing. People who argue that a self-serving bias is adaptive say that people who use a self-serving bias have higher self-esteem and tend to revel and enjoy the feeling of accomplishment. It also allows persons to feel good about themselves and may even protect people from developing depression. Additionally, self-serving biases help with coping with stress and anxiety. People are trained from a young age to act in a high standard and when that standard is not met, they may feel stress, anxiety, or depression. Blaming outside factors for these personal failures and mistakes help to ease these unwanted

When Adam and Eve sinned, sin entered the world and made humanity corrupt, selfish, self-seeking, and a host of other unwanted things. I think the self-serving biases plays right into that corruptness that the world brought. If sin never entered the world, then the self-serving bias would never have been a concept because no one would make mistakes or need to blame others because the world would be perfect. The Belgic confession says, “The devils and evil spirits are so corrupt that they are enemies of God and of everything good. They lie in wait for the church and every member of it like thieves, with all their power, to destroy and spoil everything by their deceptions” (Article 12). A self-serving bias or even a group-serving bias could easily sneak itself into the church and destroy certain relationships or get in the way of God’s mission for that church. Satan can easily use this bias to slow or stop the church. I also believe that the self-serving bias feeds into the notion that many Christians fall into of pleasing the things of this world. We are called to be in the world but not of it. 1 Corinthians 7:23 says, “You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men” (NIV). If we make a mistake I think we should just own up to that mistake and take responsibility. Blaming mistakes on others or outside factors is a way to save face and make ourselves seem better than we are, which is not necessary. We are all broken people and failing is a part of the world we live in so blaming others is unnecessary and stems from the fall. God calls us to love our neighbor as ourselves and we would not want others lifting themselves up if it meant hurting others (Mark 12:31,