The Slight Effect In The Marine Corps

The “spotlight effect” refers to the way people “tend to believe that more people take note of their actions and appearance than is actually the case” (211). Because we can only perceive our actions and the world from our own vantage point, we naturally believe that our perceptions are incredibly accurate and important, as well as our actions and behavior. Past research was done by M. Ross and Sicoly, in 1979, on “responsibility allocation,” which refers to a dynamic in groups, where individuals tend to assess their work as the most significant in the group. In 1997, Gilbert and Gill explored “naive realism,” the belief that one’s interpretation and perception of an object or event is the most realistic. Another principle important to the spotlight effect is the “self as target bias,” or the tendency to perceive others’ actions and events being directed towards oneself (212). The spotlight effect comes from egocentrism, which is natural in all humans. It is also more prevalent in childhood, when we …show more content…
I would constantly volunteer for events, and did work that I thought everyone would notice. I thought everyone was paying attention, but when it came to my evaluations nobody seemed to know what I did. Another instance in the Marines which I experienced the “spotlight effect” was when I was a junior Marine. In boot camp you are told Marines are supposed to look good in uniform. I thought needed a slim waist, and arms that were well toned. I believed if I looked like this that I would be promoted. I would walk past commanders and see them look my way. I thought it was because I looked good in my uniform. I thought I was a standout Marine because of this. It was not until later in my career that I realized nobody was really paying attention to me while I walked by. I realized that usually when a commander is looking your way, he is scanning the crowd to see if anyone is out of