Attribution Theory question

Question

Attribution Theory

1. For the attribution theory provide a response to the following question:
2. In your informed opinion, tell me what you feel are the pros, cons, and general thought about it as a useful theory to develop an intervention on in order to address a health concern within society ?

Answer 1

Attribution theory attempts to explain the behavior of others.

Pros: allows us to quickly provide an explanation for certain health concerns (diabetes, obesity), we are able to look at trends and personal experiences to get an explanation for certain behaviors that are associated with certain health outcomes.

Example: If somebody is obese, we may generalize that the person has poor eating habits because he has low self control/self esteem. This would be an example of assigning a dispositional attribution.

Cons: We fail to consider ALL the factors that may contribute to a certain health outcome.

Example: An obese person may be obese due to poverty, thyroid condition, or other factors that the individual is not in control of. The individual may not be able to afford healthy food and may instead have to rely on cheap fast food for nutrition. This is an example of a situational attribution.

*Overall, attribution theory can be useful for a quick assessment of why certain health outcomes occur, but we can often overlook all factors when trying to understand the behavior of an individual that leads to a certain health outcome