Instructions 

Analyze the attributional patterns you use to explain a mean or disappointing behavior by a 1) good friend and 2) by someone whom you do not like. Analyze how differences in your feelings about the two individuals affect your attributional tendencies. We tend to make external, unstable, and specific attributions for undesirable behaviors (which implies that factors were beyond his or her control) for friends. For people we dislike, we tend to make internal, stable, and global attributions for undesirable behaviors (which implies that he or she had control of his or her mean action and perhaps intended to act that way). Use vocabulary from your text in your response.

Before learning about attrubutions in this weeks readings, I never stopped to think about the attrubutional patters I implement when confronting a good friend compared to a person who I’m not particularly fond of.

Attributional patterns for a good friend

External: We blame undesirable behavior from friends on external factors.

Unstable: We make excuses for those we love when we see them behave in a way we normally don’t. This essentially implies that the behavior/action in question is out of character, temporary and due to forces out of their control.

Specific: The attribution will be specific to the behavior/action in question. Focus can be on the events that led up to that behavior and the specific situation as opposed to blaming it solely on the person or their personality.

Attributtional pattterns for someone I dislike

Internal: We tend to make assumptions that the behavior/action in question is due to personal factors within that person such as them being intentionally mean, careless or selfish.

Stable: We blame the behavior/action in question to it being expected, meaning that this person has a tendency to behave in that manner so it’s not unexpected or out of character.

Global: We generalize the behavior/action to previous occurences and sum it up to that being   just the “type of person they are”,  implying that this is just within their nature. The impression of them is then assumed to be like this regarding any situation.

The feelings I have for both type of people vary significantly. We tend to give the benefit of the doubt and make excuses for friends, while on the other hand we are so quick to judge and resent someone that we don’t like. Learning about these attributional patterns and reflecting on my own tendencies I learned that I should give more grace to those I normally don’t and for those I tend to make excuses for, I should stop and allow them to take full responsibility for their behavior.

SOLUTION 

Hello professor and class,

The attributional patterns applicable in explaining a mean or disappointing demeanor by a good friend is controllability. Conversely, that associated with a person that I do not like is the locus of control. In this respect, differences reflected in my emotions regarding the two people and the manner in which it impacted my attributional tendencies is that it makes me to view other people as being responsible for their respective misfortunes……..please click the icon below to access entire solution at $5