Are you judgmental?

I try not to be but I'm sure I slip up sometimes.

I think I can say all people are worthy of my interest Kitty until they prove they are not

Yes, of course I'm judgmental. I make judgments about things and people all the time, necessarily. So long as most of the judgments are either positive or neutral, it doesn't matter except to me and how I approach the world.

I'd hazard a guess that most social animals are very judgmental in the way I've outlined. They have to be. It's part of the skill set necessary to coping in a social group. I consider a negative judgment about a yob engaging in yobbish behaviour to be very important to my safety, for instance. It's an avoid! warning.

When I see someone dropping litter, I think: Slob! When I see someone being kind to another, I think: Good for you. All this is judgment.

I agree with Baggs we all make judgements about people all the time. It's what we base it on that counts. Is it evidence ( as in the two examples she gives) or just based on prejudice such as 'he's covered in tattoos/black' therefore......'. If I see people on TV outside an abortion clinic shouting at staff/women going in, I judge them very very harshly indeed. Why would I not?

I used to be quite judgemental I think. Lately, I have been less so (I hope). I have had a lot of bad things happen in my life which have made me a dithering wreck from time to time. I probably look to the outside world like someone who can't cope at times when I have actually coped with more than they will every know. I try to think people are a product of their life experiences. Walk a mile in someone else's shoes is a good expression. Of course as people have said above, it's harad not to be judgemental in some cases.

When you meet someone for the first time, it is quite easy to form an impression - I wouldn't call it a judgement- which turns out to be wrong when you actually get to know them.

I think that folk our age are far more likely to be wrongly judged as, say boring, when we are nothing of the sort. Older folk are in fact generally quite interesting because of all their varied life experiences, even if we all look grey, wrinkly and probably boring.

I am quite appallingly judgemental but I do try not to tell people what I think. Presumably most of them are thinking fairly judgemental thoughts about me too.

The most judgemental are those who say they are not.

There are times when to be judgemental is appropriate,(anyone non-judgemental when they read about the conviction and sentences of famous paedophiles?). There are times when it isn't. Wisdom is knowing when each is appropriate.

Yes and im often proved wrong

In my younger days, I'm afraid that I was probably very judgemental; I very much conformed to the "first impressions theory". But the older I get, the more I've taken on board that everyone has s**t going on in their lives that the rest of us have no inkling of. I'm far less judgemental about people these days, unless I see or hear about child or animal cruelty - and then I judge heavily.

Probably, however hard I might try to not be so.

In the end it's not what you think about someone that counts, it's how you behave towards them. And you can change your mind as far as the thinking bit goes without that affecting your behaviour.

Behaviour is what counts.

Chewbacca I think that's about how I am too. Sadly there are quite a few some who (judging (!) by comments on GN) seem to get more judgmental as they age.

Of course we are, it is part of our self preservation. We make a judgment of everyone we come across,sometimes consciously sometimes not and sometimes we voice them and sometimes we dont.

Unfortunately I am judgemental ! I hate myself for it and am happy to be proved wrong . all the leaflet stuffers recently got the sharp edge of my tongue as they rattled the Letterbox and woke OH grrrrrrrrr . Even the Party I supported got a furious face thrust at them . I calmed down by the second Election and just shoved the Leaflets back at them with a teeth grinding grin ( think that was actually more scary )and asked them politely to not litter my hallway

But - what are your judgments based upon?

Signals brought to one's brain by one's senses.

That's literally. How one interprets the signals is more complicated and, presumably, is based on one's personality, one's beliefs, one's political outlook, one's ethics, etc, etc, etc.

But it's still one's behaviour that matters more.

Being able to sum up a person and a situation is important, so being judgemental is important to our own safety ( or could be.) You can change your mind on that on further meetings of course.

Yes, I suppose I am. In my defence, I try not to be, and I'm certainly less so than when I was younger. I hope, anyway.

I think I just judged the leafleters on my antipathy to politicians , one should look at the person not the perceived expectations ?

My OH is very judgemental and it causes lots of rows. Our daughter is always complaining to me about it. He admits he is and says he will try and at least keep quiet about it, but doesn't last long. Luckily he is not very sociable and doesn't go to the pub - he would be arrested I am sure .

I don't really know if I am or not. I don't make judgements about people I meet straight away although might be guilty of doing it about people on tv programs sometimes. My husband is terrible and also extremely cynical about everyone and everything - unfortunately he's often proved right