Distinguishing Internal & External Attributions

Internal vs External Attributions

The distinction between internal and external attributions is a fascinating topic in social psychology. Attribution, a concept often used in social psychology, refers to the explanations people give to situations and behaviors as a means of understanding them. This is how people make sense of their environment. By creating causes to explain others’ behavior, inferences can be more easily made. Attribution can be divided into two categories: internal attribution and external attribution. This article aims to highlight the differences between these two types of attributions while providing a more in-depth understanding of each.

What is Internal Attribution?

Internal attribution, also known as dispositional attribution, occurs when people use personal characteristics as causes for behavior. Personal traits, feelings, temperaments, and abilities can all be considered causes in this category. For example, if a worker comes to work with a cup of coffee in hand and suddenly slips, spilling the coffee all over their shirt, an observer might say, ‘Jack is so clumsy, look at that coffee stain all over his shirt.’ In this case, the observer is making an internal attribution based on Jack’s personal trait of clumsiness, without considering any situational factors like a slippery floor.

It is important to note that our inferences are often biased. When something negative happens to someone else, we tend to blame the individual for carelessness or other personal traits. However, when a similar incident happens to us, we focus on situational factors like traffic or weather conditions.

Key Takeaways

• Internal attribution focuses on personal characteristics as causes for behavior, while external attribution emphasizes situational factors.
• People often exhibit bias in their attributions, blaming others for negative events while attributing their own negative experiences to external factors.
• Understanding the difference between internal and external attributions can help improve our ability to accurately assess situations and behaviors.

What is External Attribution?

In contrast to internal attribution, which focuses on personal factors as the cause of behavior, external attribution emphasizes situational factors that contribute to the cause of behavior. Using the same example, if you see Jack spill coffee on his shirt and comment, ‘No wonder Jack spilled the coffee on his shirt, the floors are very slippery,’ you are using external attribution. In this case, the cause of the behavior is attributed to the slippery floor, a situational factor.

What is the difference between Internal and External Attributions?

Attribution refers to the explanations people give to situations and events as a means of understanding them. It can be categorized as internal attribution and external attribution. The differences between internal and external attributions can be summarized as follows:

• Internal attribution involves making inferences using personal characteristics as causes of behavior.
• External attribution involves making inferences using situational factors as the cause of behavior.
• The main difference between internal and external attributions is that internal attribution highlights personal factors, while external attribution highlights situational factors when making inferences.