The concept of attribution is to understand and correctly perceive your own behavior. It also includes how other people manifest themselves. Characteristic qualities characterized by this concept are not distinguished explicitly. In the field of perception they are not. That is, attribution - these are traits that are attributed to people on the basis of logical conclusions and intuition. The concept also indicates a result that may well not correspond to reality. There is also always the possibility that the analysis will be incorrect.
What is attribution?
It all started with the desire of people to explain the motives of their own behavior and the behavior of other people. Very soon, the term was expanded, as a result of which it was possible to go beyond the initial framework.
Attribution is the attribution of various psychological properties to a person based on observation of him. Here, even unconscious inferences about someone may take place, as well as the causes of behavior.
Now attribution is not only a definition of the characteristics of one's behavior. It represents a series of psychological characteristics that can be directed to other objects. In any case, attribution is the main mechanism of social perception.
Causal attribution
Causal attribution is a concept in psychology that arose from attempts to explain the motives of one's own and others' behavior. But soon the term was expanded. Modern psychology is aimed at identifying the causes of behavior, which is accompanied by the attribution of various kinds of features.
Causal attribution is a concept in psychology introduced by psychologist F. Haider. Sometimes you need to predict someone else's behavior, but there is not enough data for this. Therefore, the motives and qualities of a person are often thought out. Also, characteristics of various kinds (not represented in the field of perception) can be attributed to the social community and group.
In addition, causal attribution is in psychology an example of an explanation of the actions, thoughts, feelings of another person. Thus, the search for reasons explaining the behavior of the individual. As studies have shown, each person prefers a number of causality schemes. That is, he explains the behavior of others, guided by the usual patterns. In addition, each person has his own set of systems and options. There are also certain personal causality techniques that explain other people's behavior.
The need for attribution
The information that can be obtained through observation is insufficient. It is not enough for a full human interaction with what is happening. Therefore, such information needs to be "completed."
Everything happens to predict the actions of the individual of interest in the future. To carry out attribution, a team or an individual can be used.
It can be difficult to understand someone else’s behavior. For this lack of sensitivity, knowledge in psychology or just information. As a result, other people's behavior is subject to speculation.
Attribution Types
People who have developed personal attribution are focused on finding the culprit of what happened. If we attribute the cause of the situation to a particular person, then personality attribution in psychology is manifested. The examples are not complicated: "We did not have time to arrive on time because you were late for the train."
If a person has extensive attribution, then he often blames external factors. The search for a specific person does not interest him.
Incentive attribution is to blame the subject. The glass fell and crashed, as it was on the edge of the table. Also, the reason may be that the victim himself is to blame.
Perception errors
The study of causal attribution has led to the identification of various patterns that lead to perception errors. It is noteworthy that people explain the success of outsiders and personal failures using situational attribution. Usually we try to treat ourselves softer and more loyal than to outsiders. But to analyze their own successes and failures of others, personal attribution in psychology is used. This is the peculiarity of the human psyche.
Also interesting is the fact that the reason for success is usually associated with one's own merits. But the circumstances blame the failure. A person believes that he is successful because he is hardworking and smart. And his failure occurred solely through the fault of external factors.
But if it comes to another person, then attribution in the psychology of communication manifests itself in the opposite. Example: he was lucky, he is a sneak and sneak, this person’s relationship with the leader is not formal. Or his failures are associated with laziness, an insufficient amount of mind.
Attribution when evaluating subordinates
Conflicting attribution bias is typical in any organization. This mainly applies to different situations, namely, existing biases.
If you ask managers to talk about the reasons for the inefficiency of subordinates, then they mainly cite internal factors as causes. They consist in a lack of effort and ability. At the same time, external factors, such as insufficient support, are indicated much less frequently by them. Thus, there is a reassessment of the influence of individual factors in the behavior of other people. These results indicate a tendency to underestimate the impact of situational and exaggerate the impact of individual factors.
Attribution for executives
If we turn to managers with a request to determine their inefficiency, the majority chooses a lack of support, that is, an external situational factor. This is due to the tendency of managers at various levels to deny their responsibility in the situation. A similar approach is also notable for accepting responsibility for success. Attribution in psychology is a characteristic that manifests itself in the evaluation of managers' own activities.
There was an increase in their labor efficiency while improving support levels. They did not consider that their abilities, as well as their desire to work hard, were significant factors. But with regard to subordinates, they insisted on the significance of these aspects.
But people with a developed sense of empathy quickly understand the feelings of others. In addition, they tend to consider such behavior as their own.
That is, attribution is the speculation of someone else's behavior in the absence of additional information. We all try to get the greatest possible idea of the interlocutor or team on the basis of some data. But with their insufficient number, attribution arises, which may correspond to reality or contradict it. Similar points should be considered.
