Actor–observer asymmetry is not quite what it seems.

Actor–observer asymmetry is a bias one exhibits when forming attributions about the behavior of others or themselves.

Actor–observer asymmetry is a bias one exhibits when forming attributions about the behavior of others or themselves. When explaining their own behavior, people are more likely to attribute their actions to the particular situation rather than their personality, also known as a situational attribution. However, when an observer is explaining the behavior of another person, they are more likely to attribute this behavior to the actors' personality rather than situational factors, also known as dispositional attribution. For example, a politician explaining why they voted against war may say it is because war is not needed, a situational factor. On the other hand, a person judging why the politician voted in this way may say it is because the politician is too liberal, a personality trait.