Attribution theory, developed by Fritz Heider and others, is a psychological framework explaining how people determine the causes of behavior and events, classifying them as internal(dispositional) or external (situational) factors. It analyzes how individuals attribute motives, influencing future motivation, emotional response, and behavior.
Example: When your peer misses a deadline, you might think they are lazy, while if you miss a deadline, you might blame the heavy workload instead.
Connection to social thinking: This connects to social thinking because the way we interpret certain things, thats how we would think in general, which can shape the way people perceive us.
Cognitive dissonance
Cognitive dissonance theory states that individuals feel psychological discomfort when experiencing conflicting beliefs or behaviours. This motivates people to change their actions and beliefs to reduce conflict, or simply justifying it with separate information. This theory is widely utilized to explain consumer behaviour and decision making.
Example: Stick to budget but cant resist buying a new pair of shoes-justifying it as an investment
Connection to social thinking: Cognitive dissonance serves as a primary aspect of behavior or attitude changes within social situations. It explains how people reconcile conflicting beliefs and actions to justify social pressure, conformity etc.
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