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What is a subjective opinion?
A subjective opinion is an opinion about a person, an object, or a topic that is perceived and interpreted by oneself. In this context, one's own assessment of the situation on the basis of acquired knowledge, one's own circumstances, one's own past experiences, and one's own emotions plays a role, because this forms and shapes one's opinion of the situation at hand.
Good and bad experiences can play an influence, for example, if the situation is known in connection with one's own experiences, these can form an opinion that can also be interpreted as prejudice. The opinion here is therefore subjectively chosen and always determined by one's own motives.
What is an objective opinion?
An objective opinion is an opinion about a person, an object, or a topic, which is not formed on the basis of personal judgment, but on reason and ratio. An opinion based on the fact that the situation at hand is comprehensible on the basis of approaches of logical thinking and comparison to proven and usually scientific actions.
This type of opinion means that neither emotions nor personal bias influences the opinion, since the opinion is formed simply on the basis of facts and theories of already proven, previous situations. One tries to compare the new situation with a known situation and to see possibilities rather than draw conclusions.
Problems between subjective and objective opinions
The problem between subjective and objective opinion lies in the interpretation.
It is best to approach and evaluate situations with reason. Subjective feelings - also often referred to as an individual's "gut feelings" - aren't necessarily wrong.
For example, if you are confronted with a situation that you don't like because you have experienced a similar one in the past, your subjective perception will be interpreted negatively. However, this does not mean that the objective perception must be different because if reason and rationality lead to the conclusion that the situation is more harmful than helpful, the outcome is negative and the opinion is the same. The same applies to the opposite approach, for example, if a situation objectively promises positive results, but you yourself also have a good feeling about the situation, both opinions draw the same conclusion.
The problem here lies more in the weighing of opinions which is actually the right one.
In principle, an objective and rational decision always makes more sense than a subjective and emotional decision. This is because facts and data provide a real answer to what the situation that presents itself should mean. However, this does not mean that this has to correspond to the subjective approach, because this is precisely where the problem lies: just because reason says that something is good or evil does not mean that personal feelings have to take over.
For example, in a discussion, if you don't share an opinion, you can state that openly, even if it is supported by facts. It is clear that in this case the facts give weight to the whole and probably one's own opinion is based more on emotions, but one can also accept this opinion, even if one's own at the time of the discussion does not correspond to the same. This event is then called acceptance and shows here that the one who prefers subjective perceptions can also rationally comprehend and understand them through objective attitudes. Critical faculties, understanding, and openness are three factors that always play a role alongside any opinion.
Why they are needed
Both sides must always exist. As with the balance in all things, it is also here with the opinions, because every opinion must have a counterweight. If everyone acts subjectively, this will result in many discussions, because no one can prove why their own emotional decision is the right one. Otherwise, the approach that everyone decides only objectively, i.e. reasonably and rationally, also offers problems. Because if everyone follows one fact, there are no discussions and opinions flatten out, so no critical voices are formed.
Therefore, the interplay of both types of opinions is important, because, without one, the other cannot exist. Depending on the situation, it is always different which opinion is the better one.
Solutions for both
The best solution for both sides is to constantly question your own approach. For example, if you often act impulsively and emotionally, the subjective opinion is the more present one. That's not a bad thing, as long as it doesn't get out of hand in discussions that are conducted with facts and evidence. Because then one's own opinion is not only inferior but usually also wrong, because if a fact can be proven, emotions are the wrong advisor.
For open discussions with personal opinions, the objective formation of opinion is the more difficult. Because objective opinions contain rational approaches with facts that - when asked for their personal opinion - can miss the point. Because if you are asked for your feelings in an unbiased discussion, there is no blueprint that you can use as an opinion.
How to handle new situations
In new situations, there is one basic rule: before making an emotional and impulsive decision, one should always approach it rationally and sensibly. Because any decision - whether subjective or objective - is always best solved if you can evaluate it on the basis of obvious factors that make sense, rather than using your own emotions as a unit of measurement.
In the end, it always comes down to personal feelings. It is said, however, that - when expressing one's opinion - one should always think through the situation before answering - regardless of whether one approaches a matter with emotions or facts.
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