Running Head: PERCEPTION AND INDIVIDUAL DECISION-MAKING
Attribution Theory
Attribution theory is a psychological theory that was initially proposed by Weiner (1974
and 1986) is concerned with the way persons interpret different situations and how this related to
the thinking, as well as behavior. The theory assumes that individuals attempt to ascertain why
individuals do what they do; that is, attribute causes to a behavior. For example, the theory
explains why an individual is angry since they are bad-tempered or since something bad
occurred. Attribution theory mainly emphasizes on the process of ascertaining whether a specific
behavior is caused by situations (external factors) or caused by disposition (internal features).
Thus, an individual trying to comprehend why another individual did some action can link it to
one or more causes to that specific behavior (Florida State International Symposium on
Attribution Theory & Martinko, 2004). The attribution theory has been applied in many fields
that include education, clinical psychology, mental health sphere, as well as law. Specifically, the
theory has been applied to explain the variation in motivation between low and high-achievers in
the education system.
Three Ethical Decision Criteria
A person may use three different criteria in making ethical decisions. The first criterion
of ethical decision-making is the utilitarian criterion, where choices are made founded on the
consequences. The primary objective of utilitarianism is to guarantee the utmost good to the
highest number of individuals. The criterion is favorable for making business decisions, like
performance and efficiency. For example, ensuring that rewards are given to employees to
motivate and make the majority happy. The second criterion is focus on rights. The criterion
PERCEPTION AND INDIVIDUAL DECISION-MAKING
calls for persons to make decisions that are consistent with basic freedoms, as well as privileges
as contained in legal documents, like the Bill of Rights. The criterion emphasizes there is a need
to respect and protect the fundamental rights of persons. The example of the criterion is
protecting the rights of whistle-blowers (Robbins, 2013). The final criterion is justice that
stresses the fact that the decision made should be fair and impartial and equal distribution of
costs along with the benefits.
References
Florida State International Symposium on Attribution Theory, & Martinko, M. J. (2004).
Attribution theory in the organizational sciences: Theoretical and empirical
contributions. Greenwich, CT: IAP-Information Age Pub.
Robbins, S. (2013). Organisational Behaviour. Melbourne: P. Ed Australia.
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