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Examples Of Attribution Theory

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aming can lead to attributions that justify poverty, which can lead to an acceptance of inequality and the legitimisation of the current social and economic system in South Africa (Weiner, Osborne & Rudolph, 2011). Attribution theory states that individuals aim to predict and control their behaviour by attributing the behaviours of others and other groups to internal or external factors (Whitehead, 2010). These attributions can be motivated by many variables such as political affiliation, dominant ideology, life experiences, culture and personality to name a few (Moghaddam, 1998; Nasser, 2007). Furthermore, these attributions are often biased in nature and can manifest as fundamental attribution error, ultimate attribution error, actor-observer effects and self-serving bias (Moghaddam, 1998).
This essay aims to explore how individuals and groups attribute causes to other individual’s and other group’s actions and behaviours by using attribution theory, how these attributions are motivated through political affiliation, dominant ideology, culture and personality, and the biases that can occur within these causal inferences, focusing on ultimate attribution bias. This essay will firstly, define the key concepts to be discussed, secondly; discuss how attributions are made through the application of examples relevant to South Africa, such as poverty, thirdly; discuss and explain attributional biases by providing further relevant examples. Furthermore, this essay will also

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