Passing the Buck and Breaking the Chain

In the article, “Passing the Buck: Blaming Others is Contagious”, author, Jeanna Bryner does a beautiful job in exposing what seems to be a norm in today’s society, the finger-pointing game. Through a series of experiments conducted by Nathanael Fast and Larissa Tiedens of Stanford University, scientists now believe that the blame game is socially contagious; that bad behavior can spread just as well as good behavior. Mr. Fast believes that influential people could counteract finger-pointing by developing trustworthy behavior, leading to an enhanced work performance and more creative thinking.

The irresponsibility of blaming others for your own actions can be done subtly with a great deal of tact, or directly with implications that are meant to wound. Either way, I believe it shows a weak indecisive character. Although it remains socially unacceptable, motives for participating in the blame game can stem from a variety of character flaws, such as, the effort to protect self-image, justification by eluding ones actions, a low self-esteem, or the lack of self-control. According to Marc and Dianna MacYoung of No Nonsense Self Defense, blame is very much like anger; it teaches us to override our self-control and ultimately dulls the sense of empathy. Pointing the finger to blame someone else can be harmful to everyone involved; age or gender plays no role. Whatever the circumstance, the individual doing the blaming suffers right along with the individual being blamed.

There are those of us who pride ourselves in the ability to get along with others, we’re socially adjusted and anger doesn’t seem to play a very large role in our lives. We don’t think of ourselves as someone who points the finger, but at some point, we’re all guilty. I know I am. I get annoyed with people who are inconsiderate, but I’m often inconsiderate myself. “Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves…these projections both insulate and cripple individuals by forming a thick fog of illusion between the ego and the real world…these feelings can be valuable clues that can lead to a greater understanding of ourselves.” – Carl Jung. A person cannot learn from their mistakes if their mental patterns are geared towards not accepting responsibility.

The choice is ours, we can be hypocritical perhaps undermining at times, or take the high road and learn to be upright and conscious in all that we say and do.