INFLUENCE OF PAST EVENTS ON DECISION MAKING THESIS STATEMENTVarious studies [(Gilovich, 1981) (Elder, 1974) (Robert S. Wyer, 2000)] have shown that past experiences in an individual's life have a great influence on their personality and cognitive preferences. Using the MBTI scale as a standard of comparison, I observed within my team that everyone has qualities reflecting their dichotomies which emerge in their decision-making within the team. I believe these qualities are influenced by certain incidents in life, perhaps an incident that happened while they were at school or situations they were raised in caused them to possess these qualities. INTRODUCTION We often repeat our actions which indirectly shape and reflect our behavior. People who have behaved in a certain way at one time are likely to do so again (Bentler & Speckart, 1981). Likewise, we refrain from repeating an action that had a negative consequence. These experiences influence our behavior and play a crucial role in our daily lives when we make key decisions. They also tend to shape personality. Janis and King (1954) posited that after people engage in a particular behavior, they often perform a biased search of their memory to look for previously acquired knowledge that confirms the legitimacy of their act. For example, they can identify the reasons why desirable consequences of behavior are likely to occur (and the reasons why these consequences are, in fact, desirable). They may then combine their estimates of the likelihood and desirability of these consequences to form a new attitude toward the behavior, and this attitude, in turn, might influence both their intentions to repeat the behavior and their actual decision to do it. . middle of paper ......, CR (2001). Building people, building programs. Retrieved from http://www.myersbriggs.org/type-use-for-everyday-life/mbti-type-at-work/Lafferty, JC (nd). Desert Survival Situation™. Retrieved from Human Synergistics International: http://www.humansynergistics.com/Products/TeamBuildingSimulations/SurvivalSeries/DesertSurvivalSituation myersbriggs.org. (nd). Type development across the lifespan. Retrieved from the Myers and Briggs Foundation: http://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/understanding-mbti-type-dynamics/lifelong-type-development.asp myersbriggs.org. (nd). The MBTI® guy at work. Retrieved from the Myers and Briggs Foundation: http://www.myersbriggs.org/type-use-for-everyday-life/mbti-type-at-work/Robert S. Wyer, J. (July 2000). The cognitive impact of past behavior: influences on beliefs. Review of personality and social psychology, 79(1), 5.