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Attributional style in aggressive adolescent boys.

M R Fondacaro1, K Heller

  • 1Department of Psychology, Indiana University, Bloomington 47405.

Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology
|February 1, 1990
PubMed
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.

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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.

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