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You Are a Defense Attorney Defending a Client Against a Murder

question 13

Multiple Choice

You are a defense attorney defending a client against a murder charge. Your client is the former boyfriend of the victim, and it has been established by several witnesses that the breakup was not a pleasant one. Your client was identified as a suspect from the very beginning. During the trial, the prosecution presented a witness who claimed to overhear your client praying for forgiveness in his holding cell. The prosecution also presented the murder weapon, which was a softball bat with your client's fingerprint on the handle. Your client was convicted. You attempted to convince the jury that the presence of the fingerprints did not mean anything-it was his bat, after all, and he had used it in a softball game recently. You argued that the detectives investigating the murder suspected your client right away because he was the victim's ex-boyfriend, and accordingly, they automatically interpreted any evidence in a way that agreed with their suspicion. This is an example of:

Definitions:

Self-fulfilling Prophecies

The phenomenon whereby a belief or expectation, whether correct or not, affects the outcome of a situation or the way a person behaves, making the initially held belief come true.

Buy-in

The process of gaining agreement on a proposal or plan from all stakeholders and participants.

Looking-glass Self

A concept in sociology suggesting that an individual's self-perception is influenced by how others perceive and interact with them.

Self-concept

The entirety of an individual's thoughts and feelings regarding themselves, including their identity and perception of their own abilities and attributes.