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Attributional style in aggressive adolescent boys
1Department of Psychology, Indiana University, Bloomington 47405.
Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology
|February 1, 1990
Summary
Aggressive court-involved adolescents often blame others for problems in ambiguous situations. This tendency to attribute blame externally is linked to their aggressiveness, especially in adult interactions.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Forensic Psychology
- Social Psychology
Background:
- Aggressive children often misinterpret ambiguous social cues as hostile.
- Previous research focused on peer interactions; this study examines court-involved adolescents.
- Understanding attributional biases is crucial for interventions with at-risk youth.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate attributional differences in aggressive versus nonaggressive court-involved adolescents.
- To extend attributional analysis to interactions with both peers and adults.
- To explore the relationship between aggressiveness and blame attribution in ambiguous situations.
Main Methods:
- A structured interview was used to assess causal attributions for interpersonal problems.
- Three groups were compared: nonoffenders, nonaggressive offenders, and aggressive offenders.
- Adolescents' perceptions of peer- and adult-oriented interactions were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Offenders were more prone to attributing blame to others in ambiguous situations than nonoffenders.
- Among offenders, external, person-centered blame attributions correlated significantly with aggressiveness.
- This link between blame attribution and aggressiveness was stronger in adult-oriented interactions.
Conclusions:
- Aggressiveness in court-involved adolescents is associated with a dispositional attributional style for ambiguous problems.
- Adolescents tend to blame others' global characteristics for negative outcomes.
- Attributional biases may play a role in aggressive behavior and offending trajectories.