Week 6: Attributional Tendencies

Guessing Games

In the article “Attribution Processes”, attributions are defined as “inferences that people draw about the cause of events, others’ behavior, and their own behavior.” So, in other words, they’re basically judgment calls we make about ourselves and others in order to make sense of the world around us. The problem with these assumptions, however, is that they are basically guesses. And when we make guesses about people and events, it can cause misunderstandings.

I tend to make attributions daily, but I usually define it as "overanalyzing" or "overthinking". I want to understand the behavior of others, so I analyze what they say or do in order for things to make sense. Unfortunately, my analyses or attributions might be unreasonable or irrational, and they may not always explain things correctly.

Is it She or Me?

Currently, I’m puzzled about the behavior of a woman in my ward. Just a few months after I moved into the ward last year, I started sensing that she disliked me. Her body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice definitely gave off negative signals. I was completely baffled so in order to make sense of her behavior, I concluded that either I said or did something to offend her (internal attribution), or she is going through a difficult time or is simply an unhappy person (external attribution). The bottom line is that I have no control over whether or not this lady likes me, so I’m choosing to focus on those people in my life that do. I can no longer worry about “What causes X to behave like Y?”

Are We Not All Beggars?

Sometimes we attribute a person’s misfortune externally by thinking it’s his fault that bad things happened to him. In the Book of Mormon, however, King Benjamin teaches us to resist passing judgment on others because essentially we’re all beggars: 

“Perhaps thou shalt say: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just—For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind?” (Mosiah 4:17, 19)

Wrap Up

Whatever culture we live in, it's human nature to make attributions about people and events. The important thing to remember is that our attributions may not always be correct so we should seek for greater understanding of others and of ourselves.  

Sources

Attribution Processes

https://wattersattribution.wordpress.com/

Attribution Tendencies in Cultures Video

https://video.byui.edu/media/05+Attributional+Tendencies+in+Cultures/0_u45682wd