Attribution theory is closely related to the self-efficacy model offered by Albert Bandura. This theory is concerned, as the title implies, with how people attribute the cause of specific events and how these attributes influence one’s sense of self. From one perspective, one assumes responsibility for all of their actions. They retain an internal locus of control. This means not only that one’s successes and failures have a major impact on one’s sense of self-worth (and self-efficacy), but also that their anticipation of this success or failure will strongly influence their actual level of accomplishment. High levels of self-fulfilling prophecy are found among those who assume high levels of self-control.
Conversely, from another perspective, one assumes that most causes reside outside themselves. They attribute success or failure to other people, other institutions, the environment, or some form of fate or divine judgment. Self-esteem and self-efficacy are minimally influenced by outcomes, for with a strong external locus of control, one will often feel powerless and unaccountable for any outcomes. A strong external locus leads one to look to other people and institutions for guidance regarding what to anticipate when engaging their world.
The matter of attribution also concerns how we view the behavior of other people. While we tend to believe that our own behavior is determined by external factors (especially if we have an external locus of control), we are likely to believe that other people operate from a consistent set of beliefs (personality). Many of us hold this bifurcated theory regarding human behavior. A state (environmental) theory explains our own behavior, while a trait (character) theory explains everyone else’s behavior.
This bifurcated theory is useful when we want to believe that the behavior of other people will be predictable, and that our own behavior is flexible and adaptive; however, this bifurcation also gets us in trouble when we fail to acknowledge the variable behavior of other people and/or the consistency of our own behavior. Similarly, we are likely to be surprised when our anticipation of another person’s behavior doesn’t fit with our expectations regarding their usually “consistent” behavior. When we are often surprised and must frequently adjust our interpersonal anticipations, then we may be forced to adjust our fundamental psychosocial template. We begin to acknowledge the way in which events and environments influence other people’s behavior and ways in which attributions must be viewed as complex and variable–much like the VUCA-Plus world in which we now live (Bergquist, 2025).
Cognition
A polystatic approach to the processes of anticipation is inherently systemic. It is based on the assumption that our appraisal of the environment in which we are about to operate is wholistic in nature. We don’t focus on one segment or aspect of our environment when anticipating what is about to be the nature of this environment; rather, we focus on the entire entity when making the appraisal, when adjusting our anticipation, and when taking action based on this adjustment. Not unlike Kurt Lewin, in his formulation of field theory, I propose that we continually construct systemic portraits of the environment in which we are about to act. Lewin calls these “topological maps” and offers tools for the construction of these maps.
Polystatic Force Field Analysis
Lewin’s most widely used tool is Force Field Analysis. One first identifies a specific goal or desired outcome in the field one is about to enter and then identifies forces in this field that enhance and those that block our movement toward this goal. The analysis then moves to an assessment of the relative strength of each force, and to consideration of ways in which to add more positive forces or strengthen those already present. Finally, attention turns to the negative forces and determination of ways in which to reduce or isolate each of these forces. Most importantly, Lewin noted that with the addition of each new positive force, there will be the addition of a new negative force or strengthening of an existing negative force.
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