Past Events Influence on Decision Making

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PAST EVENTS INFLUENCE ON DECISION MAKING
THESIS STATEMENT
Various studies [ (Gilovich, 1981) (Elder, 1974) (Robert S. Wyer, 2000)] have shown that past experiences in an individual’s life have a great influence on their personality and cognitive preferences. Taking the MBTI scale as a standard for comparison, within my team I have observed that each one has qualities reflecting their dichotomies that stand out in their decision making in the team. I believe these qualities are influenced by some life incidents, possibly an incident that occurred while they were in school or situations that they were brought up in has led to them having these qualities.
INTRODUCTION
Often we repeat our actions which indirectly shape and reflect our behavior. People who have behaved in a certain way at one point in time are likely to do so again (Bentler & Speckart, 1981). Similarly, we restrain ourselves from repeating an action which has had a negative consequence to it. These experiences influence our behavior and play a crucial role in our daily lives as we make key decisions. They also tend to shape one’s personality.
Janis and King (1954) postulated that after people have engaged in a particular behavior they often conduct a biased search of memory for previously acquired knowledge that confirms the legitimacy of their act. For example, they may identify reasons why desirable consequences of the behavior are likely to occur (and reasons why these consequences are, in fact, desirable). They may then combine their estimates of the likelihood and desirability of these consequences to form a new attitude toward the behavior, and this attitude, in turn, might influence both their intentions to repeat the behavior and their actual decision to do...

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..., C. R. (2001). Building People, Building Programs. Retrieved from http://www.myersbriggs.org/type-use-for-everyday-life/mbti-type-at-work/
Lafferty, J. C. (n.d.). Desert Survival Situation™. Retrieved from Human Synergistics Internationl: http://www.humansynergistics.com/Products/TeamBuildingSimulations/SurvivalSeries/DesertSurvivalSituation myersbriggs.org. (n.d.). Lifelong Type Development. Retrieved from The Myers and Briggs Foundation: http://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/understanding-mbti-type-dynamics/lifelong-type-development.asp myersbriggs.org. (n.d.). MBTI® Type at Work. Retrieved from The Myers and Briggs Foundation: http://www.myersbriggs.org/type-use-for-everyday-life/mbti-type-at-work/
Robert S. Wyer, J. (2000, July). The Cognitive Impact of Past Behavior: Influences on Beliefs,. Journal of personality and social psychology, 79(1), 5.

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