ATTRIBUTION THEORY
“Naive Psychology”
Attributions
We try to discern the motives and
personality traits.
Psychologist look at how such judgments
are made.
Examples:
Fundamental Attribution Error
Actor
Actor--Observer Bias
Defensive Attribution
(“Blame the victim.”)
Self-serving Bias
Self Discounting
Augmentation
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Am I really sick?
attend to bodily sensations
interpret sensations in the context of
illness
negative mood
(Skelton)
INFORMATION
AND
SELF--REGULATORY THEORY
SELF
(Skelton and Pennebaker)
influenced by e.g.
• culture and schema
• amount of information
• social comparison
Attribution Therapies
ATTRIBUTIONS:
“self--defeating” verses “self
“self
“self--enhancing”
James--Lange Theory
James
Cannon--Bard Theory
Cannon
Role of Hormones
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Two--Factor Theory of Emotion: Schachter and Singer (1962)
Two
(1962)
epinephrine
placebo
Confederate “happy”
Confederate “Sad” or “anxious”
more positive mood
more negative mood
No change
No change
Subjects not informed or misinformed about effects of
epinephrine
given an injection of either epinephrine or placebo
Put in room with confederate who pretended to be feeling
euphoric or anxious from the same injection
When given epinephrine most interpreted their internal feelings
from the situation—
situation—the confederate’s apparent reaction.
Not so with the placebo.
Not so when informed about the true nature of the drug
Two--Factor Theory of Emotion
Two
Schachter and Singer (1962)
Autonomic arousal
Cognitive interpretation of that arousal
(Ovid)
Misattribution And The
Exacerbation Model
Following the two factor theory:
Ross, Rodin and Zimbardo (1969)
Storms and Nisbett (1970)
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Storms and Nisbett (1970)
VERIDICAL
REATTRIBUTION
Lowery, Denney, and Storms (1979)
case studies
modern crisis intervention
Drug Psychosis
Sexual Dysfunctions
VERIDICAL REATTRIBUTION AND DRUG “PYCHOSIS”
Modified from, Becker’s Social Basis Drug-induced Experience
Drug Culture
Names, explain and talks about the
drug and its effects. May indicate to
novice that he or she is having a
typical reaction
reaction—
—therefore he or she
is normal.
Drug
(Taken by novice.)
New experiences
“Old Culture”
Indicates or asserts. “Drugs
cause mental illness” or “Took
drugs as a result of underlying
disorder and/or drug
precipitated psychotic reaction”
Errors in action
Becker asserts that with a second culture (a drug culture) available, one may be faced with competing definitions about what is
happening within his/her subjective experience.
“Drugs cause mental illness” May be seen as a self-fulfilling prophecy.
According to Becker, for Mechanism for preventing “psychosis” to work: Need 3 conditions:
1. Drug must not cause damage.
2. Users must share a set of understandings—”A culture”
3. Novice should be in a group setting.
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VERIDICAL REATTRIBUTION
AND
SEX PROBLEMS
History of Sex Research
Pioneering Stage
Kinsey Reports (1948, 1953)
Masters and Johnson
Myths and Fallacies
The Myth of the Males’
Males’ Sexual Wisdom
The search for Aphrodisiacs
Penis Size
Masturbation
Myths and Fallacies
Two Types of Orgasm in Women
Single versus Multiple Orgasm
Focus on orgasm
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Masters and Johnson view of the
Sex Response
TIME
Sexual
Excitement
“The Hots”
Hots”
Myths and Fallacies
Focus on Orgasm:
excitement phase
plateau stage
orgasm phase
resolution stage
Myths and Fallacies
Myth of the identity of male and female
sexual urges
Sex as a Barometer of a good relationship
Sex and old age
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Masters and Johnson’
Johnson’s behavioral therapy
for sexual problems
Focus on sociosocio-cultural deprivation and
ignorance of sexual physiology
Focus on relationship as a whole
Prescribed specific sexual exercises
Focus on pleasure (no pressure)
Systematic Desensitisation
Modern Sex Education
M.& J
.:
Seeing parents and other comfortable with sex
“Sex education: how it is being taught in elementary
classrooms”
(reprints available from Grade Teacher, 23 Leroy Ave. Darien Conn. 06820).
Found at York Regional School board's ParentParent-Teacher Meeting
Four Concepts:
Self
Self--awareness
Physiological
Reproductive
family
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Modern Sex Education
MODERN ATTRIBUTIONAL
STYLE THERAPY
changing selfself-defeating myths about sex
changing selfself-defeating attributional
style of those with low self esteem
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