internal attribution

Definition. n. When trying to explain a person's behavior (what is referred to in psychology as making an attribution for the person's behavior), an internal attribution is made when it is assumed that the cause of an event is due to a factor within (or internal to) a person. Internal factors are such characteristics as a person,s intelligence, abilities, values, or personality. When an internal attribution is made about another person's behavior, that person is considered to be responsible for the event because it was caused by an internal factor.

Explanation. Attribution theory states that people have a desire to explain events in the world around them. Making internal attributions assumes that an event is due purely to factors inside the person (e.g., personality, ability, effort) rather than factors outside the person (e.g., luck). Internal factors are within a person's control. Therefore, when internal attributions are made about people's behaviors, it is assumed that the people are responsible for their own outcomes. People tend to make an internal attribution when a positive event happens to them or when negative events happen to their competition. People tend to take credit for their own successes, but they tend to hold their competitors at fault for their failures. For example, when students score well on tests, they tend to make internal attributions by thinking the excellent performance resulted from their being very intelligent or very hard-working. They tend not to attribute the good performance to luck but believe that they deserve the grade. On the other hand, when student competitors do poorly on a test, students frequently assume that the bad grade was deserved because the competitor is not smart or is unmotivated.

People are also more likely to make an internal attribution when a good friend or someone they like succeeds, when the performer of the behavior succeeds at something from which they can benefit, and when a person who is known to be motivated to achieve the goal succeeds. One explanation for using internal attributions is the preservation of a perception of control over the world. When people are thought to be directly responsible for their outcomes, they can change their behavior in order to change the outcome. Making internal attributions affects the way people react to similar events in the future. Students who believe that their good grade was due to their motivation (studying hard) are more likely to study hard in the future.

-VKP, LAB