"Conversation should be pleasant without scurrility, witty without affectation, free without indecency, learned without conceitedness, novel without falsehood."
Published on October 8, 2004 By Sally jacobs In Misc
First impressions are very important. We put alot on first impressions, and theyy are often difficult to change. They can work in a positive and negative way. If we meet someone and we don't like how they look, they are in a bad mood, or they are rude. Even if this is a one off, we will remember this behaviour. That will be what we remember when we think of that person. These things are difficult to change. Even if we after that they give us a good impression, it will be difficult to forget that first time. This can work the opposite away too. If someone makes a positive impression on us, and then go on to make negative impressions we are more like to remember the positive, and put down the negatives to having a bad day or just basically excuse the behaviour. Which brings me on to the Halo effect.

Halo Effect
The extension of an overall impression of a person (or one particular outstanding trait) to influence the total judgment of that person. The effect is to evaluate an individual high on many traits because of a belief that the individual is high on one trait. Similar to this is the 'devil effect', whereby a person evaluates another as low on many traits because of a belief that the individual is low on one trait which is assumed to be critical.

I think this is a very interesting thing. That our opinions on someone can be influenced so much. If we think highly of someone, or generally have positive thoughts of someone, they can do things that we otherwise wouldn't find acceptable, and get away with it. For example, and this is just relevant to the site. There will be certain bloggers we like. That we may have read a few articles we really liked and become a dedicated reader of that blogger. They then may go on to write things that we wouldn't normally read, but because it's them we do read it, and actually may even find an interest in it. We only read it because it was wrote by that blogger though. This is true to real life too. That someone we like, can do things we wouldn't normally appreciate, but due to us thinking positive things about them, we allow it to happen.
Thinking about this now, I can think of times when I have done this. That I've allowed for things that I normally wouldn't, just because it was a certain person. I didn't realise I was doing it at the time, but thinking about it now I can see it. Alot of the times I have learnt something new, and this person has shown me things I wouldn't normally except. The Halo can slip though. Sometimes people use it to their advantage. They know that you have a positive view of them and they do things that they shouldn't in hope that they can get away with it, simply because of who they are. Once this happens we do tend to realise. We don't let people walk all over us, we just allow for little things, and open our minds to things. I don't see it as a bad thing. As long as we are aware of it.

Comments
on Oct 09, 2004
Very interesting.

I think what you have in your article makes a lot of sense. People we come to know and like will be able to get away the occassional acting out of character - we would probably dismiss it as a bad day. But those who have made a bad impression, it's just very difficult to believe that that person can ever be capable of any good. Even if he or she writes something nice, one is suspicious that he or she might just be sarcastic.

Sometimes a person can start of being well liked, but if he or she consistently offends and blames it on bad days, it will still eventually wear out other people's patience. Forgiving and forgetting is difficult especially when trust is broken too many times.
on Oct 10, 2004
Forgiving and forgetting is difficult especially when trust is broken too many times.


Exactly. It doesn't mean people can get away with anything, we aren't that stupid. It just means we will allow for out of character behaviour. I think as long as we are aware of it, it can be a positive thing. Thanks for the comment