Egocentric thinking results from not considering the rights and needs of others, and from refusing to appreciate others' viewpoints and to accept the limitations of one's own.
Egocentric thinking commonly is associated with an innate egocentrism and sociocentrism. An egocentric thinker believes in her/his intuitive perception, however
inaccurate it is. S/he assumes that what s/he believes is true even though
s/he has never questioned the basis for her/his beliefs. S/he assumes that the dominant beliefs of her/his groups are true even though s/
he has never questioned the basis for many of these beliefs.
Egocentric thinking also embraces an innate wish fulfillment and an innate self-validation: "It's true because I want to believe it", and ""It's true because I have always believed it."
The motivation of egocentric thinking is innate selfishness. "It is true because it is in my selfish interest to believe it. I hold fast to beliefs that justify my getting more power, money, or personal advantage even though these beliefs are not grounded in sound reasoning or evidence."
Humans are naturally prone to assess thinking in such egocentric criteria. It is no surprise that our human thinking is often flawed and self-deceived.
Source:
Richard Paul and Linda Elder. The Miniature Guide to Critical Thinking: Concepts and Tools. The Foundation for Critical Thinking. UC-Berkeley, July 23-26, 2007. www.criticalthinking.org.
