Explaining Human Behavior with the Attribution Theory in Fritz Heider's Book The Psychology of Interpersonal Relationships

Labelling theory has also been used to apply the interactionist theory to society; the theory, like Mead, emphasises the importance of symbols and situations in which they are used. The main interactionist concepts are the definition of the situation – if we believe in something then it could affect the way in which we behave. The looking glass –self – this was created by Cooley who argues that we see ourselves in a way in which we think others see us. These concepts have been useful in explaining why people act in certain ways in certain situations; therefore, the labelling theory is effective in the study of society.

as opposed to external situational factors. This can be due to our focus on the person more than their situation, about which we may know very little. When we are playing the role of observer, which is largely when we look at others, we make this fundamental attribution error. When we are thinking about ourselves, however, we will tend to make situational attributions. Our expectations of our social world matter because of our social beliefs and judgments.

Trevor’s actions led his peers to label him as a constant threat, as well as the school “weirdo.” Everyone, even his parents, cautioned himself or herself around him. Trevor’s own actions categorized him as a threat to all. His peers would wonder about the causes for his actions. This led them to believe in false causes. A theory in this particular case, which is widely used in this concept, is the attribution theory. This explains and states the different types of processes we use to judge behaviors

Notably, the fundamental attribution error is a personal bias that is problematic in society. To emphasize, the fundamental attribution error is when individuals have the tendency to attribute people’s behavior to components of their character or personality, even when situational influences are producing the behavior (Textbook, page 171). An example of the fundamental attribution error operating in daily life is when a driver avoids hitting a pedestrian and causes an accident. In this

Social Judgement Theory is a theory of persuasion and attitude change. It was developed by the work Muzafer Sherif and Carl Hovland in 1961. The central figure in the development of this theory was Muzafer Sherif. Originating from Turkey, he is considered one of the founders of social psychology. He is best known for his research on the autokinetic effect in the 1950’s, which describes the illusion that a small and stationary pinpoint of light in a dark room actually moves. Using this same effect, he applied it to the way we perceive messages and change our beliefs and positions over time.

As referenced by Nurit & Papirman (2007), the earliest research on the fundamental attribution error was conducted by Jones and Harris in 1967. The researchers designed three experiments to determine whether or not an individual would take the situation into account over there disposition. A sample of individuals were told there were going to read over a pro- Fidel Castro essay or an anti-Fidel Castro essay. Next, the participants were told there were two groups. One group was able to write freely and the other group was being assigned their position. Given these points, the readers of the essay were than told to rate the attitudes of the writer and determine their position. The results showed that no matter if the writer was truthfully pro or anti-Castro, the reader still recorded that the writer had strong emotion in their position. In other words, this proved that the readers overlooked the prior knowledge they had and just simply assessed the rating on what they had in front of them. Committing this error is not a mistake it’s simply an outcome of natural

The Fundamental Attribution Error occurs when a person’s personality is determined based on how they act in a certain situation, but not including the situation and outside influences when making that determination. The individual could be acting a certain way based on the particular situation or social circumstances, but in all actuality be completely different in another situation. Studies show that in most cases socially we want to fit in with a group, don’t want to be different, don’t want to be wrong, and in many instances act different than what our typical personality and values are based on influencing social factors. One of the main factors that often contributes to how we act in certain situations is to obey those in authority positions. The studies provided below are examples of the show how behaviors can change based on social factors.

The workplace experience that I am going to share with the class gives the perfect example of lacking interpersonal communication in the work environment. This particular experience identifies how interpersonal communication is an essential skill that everyone working in a professional atmosphere should possess. The significance and relevance of my experience seems to be the most suitable and effective in relation to the theoretical concepts learned from chapter 8: Interpersonal Communication, and chapter 9: Perception and Attribution.

Fritz Heider (1958) focuses on the internal and external attribution, which suggests why people behave a certain way according to their character or attitudes (external attribution) or the implication as to why an individual behaves a certain way due to the situation there in. “When we explain our own behavior, we are sensitive to how behavior changes with the situation” (Idson & Mischel, 2001). The significances of making a conclusion, gives direction and probability, which may help determine why a person may or may not act a certain way based on what the evidence shows. The implication of a certain behavior depends on the source to which it is attributed. For example: If Pat assumes that growing up isolated from her surroundings is normal, she won’t perceive it as non-normal. “The way we explain others’ actions, attributing them to the person or the situation, can have important real-life effects” (Fincham & Bradbury, 1993; Fletcher et., 1990). “A person must decide whether to attribute another’s friendliness to romantic interest “ (Myers, D. G.

An example when I used fundamental attribution is when I was taking a class at Gwinnett technical college. I assume that the girl in my class was quiet; because she wanted to keep to herself and she did not want to bother. One day I saw her in an organization with other group members talking and passing out flyers to me and other people. She was also interacting with me as well. She was even communicating with other people. I assume wrong she was not a quiet person.

The psychological phenomenon that the study centered around is the FAE, or the fundamental attribution error (also known as the attribution effect or the correspondence bias.) This phenomenon explains the inclination of people to place an emphasis on the internal qualities of a subject rather than external traits. This, however, does not explain or predict the participant’s own behavior or interpretation thereof. Unknowingly, each one of us experiences the FAE on a daily basis. While in traffic, we blame someone cutting us off on their “awful” personality rather than considering the situation or exactly why they were in such a rush. However, if we cut someone off in traffic, we blame it on the situation rather than our own internal habits and traits.

In social psychology, the phrase person perception has historically referred to the perception of others that leads to judgments of traits and dispositions. Fritz Heider proposed that people can attribute the behaviors of others to factors that are internal (personality, dispositions, etc.) or external (situational constraints), but that people are prone to make internal attributions (Ickes, 2000). These basic observations affected decades of research and provided an important foundation for two related theories, in particular. Harold Kelley’s covariation model, for example, described how people discern the attitudes of others based on simple factors surrounding observed behaviors (Sadalla et al, 1994). Similarly, Edward E. Jones

There are many explanations for the origins of modern social psychology. It is therefore important to consider that social psychology cannot be traced back to one single source of origin (Burr, 2003). Hence, this is the reason why there are debates of what social psychology is. Allport (1985) described social psychology as the study an individual’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviours which are influenced by the actual, imagines, or implied presence of others. As seen from this definition there is a direct link between social science and the individual psychology (Sewell, 1989). Social psychology cannot be seen as a linear phenomenon. This is because social psychology has been derived from a combination of influences. The development of

Social psychology is the understanding of an individual’s behavior in a social context. It is the scientific field that focuses on the nature and causes of that individual’s behavior in social situations. It looks at the human behavior that has been influenced by others and in the social context with which it occurred. Social psychology pays attention to how feelings, thoughts, beliefs, intentions, and goals are constructed and how these factors influence our behavior and interactions with others. This paper will examine the principles of social psychology and help us to

4. Object relations theorists investigate the early formulation and differentiation of psychological structure and how these inner structures are manifested in interpersonal situations