Everyone wants to be able to explain the world around them. The attribution concept of psychology claims that people constantly attribute causes to events in order to give themselves a greater sense of control over those events.
When events are caused by internal personality factors, it is called internal attribution. When events are caused by external situational factors, it is called external attribution.
Most attributions are self-serving. Regardless of the facts, a person is much more likely to blame external situational factors for a negative event than to blame himself. Conversely, a person is much more likely to assume that positive outcomes are due to his own internal personality factors than to give credit to external situational factors. This is called the fundamental attribution error.
Ironically, when trying to explain the outcomes as they apply to other people, the fundamental attribution error makes us think that the exact opposite is true. *We* succeeded because we are good at it. *They* succeeded because of luck.
In this way, the fundamental attribution error often leads to a “blame the victim” mentality. It’s hard for someone to assume that the same thing could have happened to them. It’s much easier to assume that it happened to the other person because of who they are or something they did. This is called the actor/observer difference.
This also makes it easy to generalize other people as predictable and much more similar than they really are. On the other hand, we see ourselves as much less predictable and multifaceted than we may really be. This is called the dispositional attribution error.
Leaders in their field are often those who are able to see themselves more accurately than most. By being able to identify personal strengths and weaknesses accurately, they are better able to work to their strengths, work on their weaknesses, and thereby improve their performance.
Further information:
Attribution theory
Introduction to attribution processes
