Othello error

n. An error in attribution of the source or reason behind an emotion. When we observe emotion in others, we often make assumptions about the causes of that emotion with no rational basis. The actual cause of someone else's emotion, however, may be quite different from what one assumes. This is called Othello's error because in the Shakespearean play, Othello made a grave mistake in interpreting the source of his wife's fear and killed her.