The DOI matches its Crossref record; 4 of the 4 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Attribution of success and failure revisited, or: The motivational bias is alive and well in attribution theory
Abstract
Do causal attributions serve the need to protect and / or enhance self‐esteem? In a recent review, Miller and Ross (1975) proposed that there is evidence for self‐serving effect in the attribution of success but not in the attribution of failure; and that this effect reflects biases in information‐processing rather than self‐esteem maintenance. The present review indicated that self‐serving effects for both success and failure are obtained in most but not all experimental paradigms. Processes which may suppress or even reverse the self‐serving effect were discussed. Most important, the examination of research in which self‐serving effects are obtained suggested that these attributions are better understood in motivational than in information‐processing terms.
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“studies have largely relied on self-report data and individuals may be biassed in their views about the problem and attribute failures to external (environment or other people) rather than internal (ability, effort) factors [51,52].”
From A guide to using the Theoretical Domains Framework of behaviour change to investigate implementation problems (2017) · cites this paper as [52]
In the citing paper
“People also tend to attribute their successes to ability and skill, but their failures to bad luck (Zuckerman, 1979).”
From Explaining Bargaining Impasse: The Role of Self-Serving Biases (1997) · cites this paper as Zuckerman, 1979
Citations
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Cited by
Sorted by citations
Culture and the self: Implications for cognition, emotion, and motivation.
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“First, studies have largely relied on self-report data and individuals may be biassed in their views about the problem and attribute failures to external (environment or other people) rather than internal (ability, effort) factors [51, 52].”
BackgroundThe Causes and Consequences of a Need for Self-Esteem: A Terror Management Theory
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Metadata
- Authors
- Zuckerman, M.
- Affiliations
- University of Rochester (US)
- Corresponding author
- Zuckerman, Miron
- ORCID
- Zuckerman, Miron
- Venue
- Journal of Personality
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 1979-06
- Volume
- 47
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 245-287
- ISSN
- 0022-3506 (ISSN-L)
- 1467-6494
- OpenAlex
- W2050551731
- Cited by
- 1,136
- References
- 4
- Citations by year
- 2026: 11 · 2025: 18 · 2024: 21 · 2023: 29 · 2022: 28 · 2021: 31 · 2020: 32 · 2019: 34 · 2018: 27 · 2017: 33 · 2016: 28 · 2015: 29 · 2014: 24 · 2013: 19 · 2012: 34
- FWCI
- 117.32
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Personality (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social and Intergroup Psychology
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Personality Traits and Psychology
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Psychological Testing and Assessment
- Keywords
- self-serving bias, causal attribution, attribution of success, failure attribution, self-esteem, motivational bias, information processing biases, attribution theory
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