Situation awareness is not just in three dimensions, the concept is not bound by positional orientation but also encompasses a broader spectrum of events that are ever changing and require an assessment of priority both at that moment in time and extrapolated continuously in terms of aircraft performance, environment and crew parameters.
The degree of an individuals performance in this arena often determines their abilities to progress and the degree of professionalism they are able to achieve. Unfortunately, a persons ability in this respect is pretty much not determined by how hard you study. Ability and skill in this matter improves with practise and time. Some are lucky to be born with more highly developed abilities that enable rapid utilisation of the necessary skills than others. Some are not and although they will progress with time, advancement will be so slow that the higher levels of proficiency will effectively place them in the basket labelled 'no career potential' simply because of time and cost.
Many accidents occur because of 'pilot error' which is a fancy way of saying 'poor degree of situational awareness' which is also another way of saying crap captaincy.
Best Wishes