The PoV trap is accepting the characters' opinions for your own - such as if one were to accept that Elayne spends too much on charity or that Nynaeve is cheapskate, because we have no frame of reference or financial conversion scale, so all we have to go on is each woman's opinion of the other. As I mentioned in my previous post, that is not sufficient evidence and calling Nynaeve stingy just because Elayne thinks so would be an example of the PoV trap. On the other hand, since Elayne is her own worst critic, what possible PoV trap could I be falling into? But telling me to accept another character's opinion (like Mat's - he's one of the most slanted & subjective perspectives in the whole series, along with Nynaeve) IS the PoV trap.

Mat reflexively dislikes and mistrusts her simply based on her background, and when he observes otherwise, he is surprised. One example that springs to mind is her reaction to making the gateway to take them from Salidar, where he sees her including her friends in her achievement, and thinks that you would hardly guess what she is REALLY like based on observing her. As far as her subsequent treatment of Mat, that can be written off to having heard too much from Egwene, and starting out expecting the worst from him and with orders from your beloved child Amyrlin to manipulate him in order to allow her to terrorize the surrounding countryside into joining her army. Elayne has been told, by a girl who grew up with him, and by a former authority figure with whom he had clashes, that he is untrustworthy, unreliable, perverse and lascivious. Elayne is undertaking a mission to save the world from the Dark One's touch. When people who know one of your companions are giving him this bad a rap, you HAVE to take action to prevent a lout like him from screwing things up. It should be noted that once she has a chance to see him in action herself, she adjusts her opinion of him, and they have a very positive working relationship once they meet again in Caemlyn. Unlike, say, Egwene, Elayne is quick to ignore second-hand prejudices (or those formed in childhood) to adjust her assessments of people. She does the same with Galad. Meanwhile, Egwene, despite hearing Moiraine list his military accomplishments, and being more or less present for his triumph in the battle of Cairhien (and if she did not get to see it first hand, she would have heard about it via the Aiel, who are not at all prone to exaggerate a wetlander's military prowess), is continually surprised by each piece of news supporting his military reputation.