| Description |
One of the most compelling drives men and women have is to predict and control their environment. People who are successfully adapting to life are constantly searching for new information that can be integrated to facilitate their sense of control and predictability. George Kelly (1955) compared this activity with the investigative procedure used by scientists. " ... It is customary to say that the scientists ultimate aim is to predict and control ...might not the individual man, each in his own personal way assume the stature of a scientist, ever seeking to predict and control the course of events with which he is involved" (p. 5). This process of inquiry is such an integral part of behavior that it is often done unconsciously. When one is doing this, the incoming raw information is useless. It must be interpreted according to the previous experiences of the individual. This gives the input meaning for the individual and can be used to help understand why things happen. Attribution theorists are specific in positing a motivation for these interpretive processes. Kelley, for example, states that "The purpose of causal analysis--the function it serves for the species and the individual--is effective control. The attributor is not simply an attributor, a seeker after knowledge; his latent goal in gaining knowledge is that of effective management of himself and his environment" (Kelley, 1971b, p. 22) . People don't gather knowledge for knowledge sake; this activity would serve no practical purpose. Rather, the information concerning an event is interpreted and attributions are made about the cause of it. These attributions can then be used to predict when the situation will occur again and how to control it. This will serve the ultimate purpose of giving the person the ability to anticipate and manipulate circumstances in a manner which will minimize the negative outcomes and maximize the positive ones. |
