Egozentrische

Egozentrische is a German adjective meaning egocentric or self-centered. It describes attitudes, judgments, or perceptions that are centered on the self and that privilege one’s own perspective, often at the expense of others.

Origin and usage: The form derives from the Latin ego (I) and the suffix -zentrisch, combining into egozentrisch. The feminine and plural inflected form appears as egozentrische (for example, eine egozentrische Haltung). It is used in psychology, philosophy, sociology, and everyday language. Common collocations include egozentrische Haltung (egocentric attitude), egozentrische Perspektive (egocentric perspective), and egozentrische Sichtweise.

In psychology, egocentrism (Egozentrismus) refers to the tendency to interpret the world from one’s own point of view. In Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, early childhood shows egocentric thinking and egocentric speech, with decentration and perspective-taking emerging during the concrete operational stage. The term is also used to describe bias in social cognition when people assume others share their beliefs or experiences.

Contemporary usage encompasses egocentric bias in judgment and decision-making, including self-serving attributions or the tendency to overestimate others’ familiarity with one’s own knowledge or experiences.

See also: egocentrism, egotism, perspective-taking, empathy.