Who's Being Served? "Self-Serving" Attributions in Social Hierarchies

Area of Science:

• Social Psychology
• Organizational Behavior

Background:

• External attributions for negative events can imply a lack of control over resources.
• Self-serving bias is a common perception of external attributions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if external attributions lead to perceptions of powerlessness.
• To examine if social status moderates the impact of external attributions on interpersonal outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Three studies were conducted using role-play, experimental hierarchies, and vignette methodologies.
• Participants' attributions for negative events and their perceptions of individuals making these attributions were assessed.
• The moderating role of social status on the relationship between attributions and interpersonal outcomes was examined.

Main Results:

• Making external attributions for negative events was associated with impressions of powerlessness.
• High-status individuals making external attributions received more negative impressions and affect compared to lower-status individuals.
• External attributions were found to be detrimental to individuals in high-status positions.

Conclusions:

• External attributions can lead to perceptions of powerlessness, particularly for those in high-status roles.
• Violating status-based expectations of control through external attributions results in negative interpersonal consequences.
• The findings highlight the double-edged nature of attributions, especially concerning social hierarchy and perceived competence.