Discuss Attribution Theory and locus of control. Give an example of internalizers and externalizers. How might a car driver’s attribution contribute to their response if a car cuts them off in traffic.

What will be an ideal response?


Attributional Theory defines how one understands the motivation of others. The locus of control is how people attribute success and/or failures. “Internalizers” tend to attribute either success or failure to their own abilities. They believe they have control over what happens to them; we say they have an “internallocus of control.” “Externalizers” attribute both successes and failures to their environment. They tend to believe they have no control over what happens to them; we say they have an “external locus of control.” In the case of the driver cut off in traffic, if the driver makes a situational attribution (such as “they must have been in a hurry” or “they might have been on their way to an emergency”) the driver will likely feel less frustrated than the driver that makes a personal attribution (such as “they think they are more important than me” or “they are so rude”).

Psychology

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