Attribution theory

The attribution theory is a casual judgement about why an event or behaviour occurred. It could be due to internal (the person’s personality/ ability/ motivation/ attitudes or values) or external attributions (due to chance, situational, or influence of others). Thus, in deciding whether it was due to either internal or external attribution, Kelley proposed the judgment could be based on three factors. The factors being consensus (to what extent do other people behave the same way toward the same stimulus), distinctiveness (to what extent does the actor behave the same way toward other stimuli) and consistency (does the actor behave the same way toward the stimulus across different times and situations).

A recent personal experience sticks out in my mind that would illustrate Kelley’s model. Recently, my friends and I went on trip overseas. The trip was enjoyable overall. However, one friend, X, seemed quite irate and moody at times. Looking back, X seemed to get irate only when told what to do (or as X puts it, “being nagged at”). Applying Kelley’s model, there was high consensus (others get irate or moody when told what to do), high distinctiveness (X was irate only when told what to do, and cheerful at other times), high consistency (X is always annoyed when nagged at other times and in other situations). Thus, X’s behaviour can be attributed externally.

Learning about the attribution theory illustrates how quick we are in judging others. On the flip side, it also shows that we cannot be quick to judge other people. I think that Kelley’s model is a good one to follow as it assumes rationality, thus, we need to examine whether there were any other factors that might have contributed to the person’s behaviour, before coming to a conclusion.