This has always been a danger area for me. Feeling that one is correct isn't the same thing as being correct. That feeling is not a logical response -- it's an emotional one, and it isn't rational behavior if one is losing friends over it.
I'm guilty of being like this, but I try to avoid it. My newer approach is to start by trying to find out why the other person believes what they do, with the expectation that even my firmest beliefs could be wrong.
I think there's also an element of bigotry involved. Should I expect people to forgive my blind spots in social (and other) situations, but then expect everyone to have perfect logical reasoning? This isn't right. Someone who makes "logical mistakes" (as I see logic) isn't less worthy of respect than someone who makes social mistakes.
In hindsight, I've been wrong many times, so this overwhelming feeling of being correct is likely the same kind of irrational emotional response that I'm accusing other people of having.
It's difficult to do when arguing with someone who doesn't play by the rules of logic, but I try to step back, ask questions, and relentlessly try to poke holes in my own opinions. Some possible outcomes:
- I'll have a more nuanced opinion of the issue,
- I'll change my mind about the subject, correcting some of my own reasoning errors,
- or I'll have very effective responses to the next person who brings up that kind of argument
Those are some of the things that helped me reduce this problem for myself.
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