Situational influences are influences on a person's behavior that come from an external factor. An example of this would be someone acting in a rude
and seemingly inconsiderate manner, but what the bystanders of this behavior do not know is that this person's parents are going through a brutal
devorce and they do not have the time or ability to put on a fake face for the people around them. This behavior is not necessarily because of the
persons character or personality, but many people witnessing the behavior would think they are not kind, or they are a bad person. This is where a
dispositional perspective comes in. As mentioned in the book, "We tend to think that people are in control of their own behaviors, and, therefore, any
behavior change must be due to something internal, such as their personality, habits, or temperament" (OpenStax, 419). That assumption is based on
dispositional influences. When we immediately think that the behavior of a person is strictly dispositional, the fundamental attribution error comes
into play; we fail to recognize the impact that situation variables can have on someone's behavior, and, therefore, assume it has something to do with
who they are as a person.
When you view someone's behavior through a situational lens, you might excuse inappropriate behavior for a situation that is occurring in that
person's life. Whereas, when taking a dispositional perspective, you might assume that their behavior is a projection of their personality.
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