Whenever you make an overly general statement about another person or about yourself,you are likely to be distorting the facts and conveying very little useful information.This is because most generalizations fail to differentiate between states and traits.A state is a temporary way of being while a trait tends to be a more stable and enduring characteristic or pattern of behavior.So,someone with a character trait of calmness and composure can,under certain circumstances,act agitated and angry because of being in a temporary state that is quite uncharacteristic of his regular style.Hence,"You are selfish"is vague generalization.Indeed,"You are selfish"implies that is quite uncharacteristic of his regular style.Hence,"You are selfish"is vague generalization.Indeed,"You are selfish"implies that the person almost always makes inconsiderate or self-centered choices that disregard the needs and wishes of others.But an occasional selfish act does not make someone selfish across the board because even a very generous person can occasionally be in a state during which he is anything but generous.
每当你做出关于别人或自己的过于概括的陈述，你可能在歪曲事实，并传达很少的有用信息。这是因为大部分概括没能区分状态和特征。状态是暂时的存在方式，而特征往往是更稳定、更持续的特点或行为模式。因此，具有沉着镇静的性格特征的人可能在某些情况下表现得焦虑和愤怒，因为他正处于一种暂时的状态．这种状态很不像他的惯常风格。凶此，“你是自私的”是模糊的概括。其实，“你是自私的”暗示此人几乎总是做出不体贴或者以自我为中心的选择，不顾别人的需求和愿望。但是偶尔的自私行为并不会使人在一切情况下都自私，因为即使是一个非常慷慨的人也会偶尔处于一种绝不慷慨的状态。
