Author Question: What are attributions and how are they related to our responses to ... (Read 32 times)

colton · **on:** Jul 12, 2018

What are attributions and how are they related to our responses to stress?

Question 2

What is the importance of expectations in how we deal with stress?

Zebsrer · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 12, 2018

Answer to Question 1

One way we try to make sense of why things happen and why people do the things they do is by attributing events and behaviors to various causes. Often people explain others' behavior by attributing it to internal factors, such as personality traits. If someone explodes in anger, for example, we may attribute the rage to a bad temper. When we interpret our own behavior, we tend to make external attributions to situational or environmental factors. If you lash out at a waiter who knocks over a glass of water, you may attribute your outburst to the server's clumsiness rather than your irritability.

Answer to Question 2

All too often, expectations turn into self-fulfilling prophecies, in part because they filter what you notice or ignore in daily life. We base expectations on past experiences. If we expect a certain strategy will yield success and it does, our expectations are confirmed. If we expect a certain strategy will yield success and it does not, we may feel out of control and uncertain about what to expect in the future. Under those circumstances, we will experience stress.

Expectations also affect your relationships because they announce to the world what you anticipate, which affects how others respond to you. People assume that you know yourself better than anyone. If you're self-confident, they let you take the lead. If you seem passive and compliant, someone will rush to exert control over you.