Deviance and a generalized disposition toward internality: an attributional approach

Two studies were carried out to test the hypothesis, derived from attribution theory, that adolescents might acquire an identity and mediating beliefs about reality (internal locus of control) by deviating from norms when they perceived adults to be powerful. In line with this expectation, the major study found that students rated by teachers as "deviant," but not those rated as "conformant," showed greater internality in beliefs about man (control ideology), p = .024, under conditions of high power. Despite the following limitations or exceptions, attribution theory seemed to best explain the predicted effect: (1) the effect for beliefs about control was nonsignificantly weaker for females then males, perhaps because of different meanings of deviance for males and females and female socialization for conformity rather than independence; (2) in the major study the effect was absent for questions dealing with respondents' personal feelings of control ("self-attributions"); and (3) in both studies there was a tendency for deviant females to show more personal externality (relative to conformers) when perceived power was high.