Defensive Attribution
As a witness who secretly fears being vulnerable to a serious mishap, we blame the victim less and the attacker more if we relate to the victim.
ExampleSally sat too long at a green light because she was playing with her phone, and got rear-ended. Greg, who is known to text and drive, got out and yelled at the person who smacked into her.
What to doNotice whether you blame someone less because they remind you of yourself. Apply the same standard to someone who doesn’t.