We tend to depend on our ability to read our co-workers minds. We assume that we know what they are thinking. Often, we arrive at this conclusion because we are sure that our co-worker is sharing our filtering approach to information. Neuroscientists have created a term for this behavior – “mentalizing.” We assume another’s perspective by imposing how we would react.
Our brain’s “social cognition” network provides us opportunity to imagine we are in the other person’s shoes, and believe that we understand their beliefs and intentions. The way that we decide on another’s mental state may depend on our personality. Specifically, antisocial individuals often think that others share their perceptions of a situation and will replicate their actions in said situation. A false premise, but why? Individuals with antisocial personality are less trustworthy, trust others less, and tend to punish those who betray their trust. They behave very strategically. When antisocial individuals fear punishment for wrong behavior, they appear to collaborate well with others to maintain their access to resources. However, when they cannot be punished for wrong behavior, they exploit others and extract resources.