Attributive, Control and Other Psychological Theories - Term Paper Example

? Psychology key theories al Affiliation Psychology key theories Attribution theory is a term used in clinical psychology to refer toprocesses or events which causes change of behavior. There are several models that encompass the description for each process. This theory was developed in the 20th century by Fritz Heider and since then it has been modified by Bernard Weiner and Harold Kelley (Gordon & Graham 2006, p 142). On the other hand, there is the control theory which was developed in 1973 by Walter Reckless. It supports that behavioral changes is caused by internal stimuli which can either make a person to be comparative or defiant. Weak control systems often lead to defiant behaviors among people since there is little or no external control on the behavioral aspect of the people. The theory works on the assumption that all human beings act rationally unless they are driven by circumstances into being defiant. This can be equated to a society where people are social and caring for each other, in such a society there are less defiant activities than in a society lacking a strong social bond. Therefore, both attribution theory and control theory come in handy in determining the behavior of individuals which is helpful to clinical psychologists. These theories are pertinent in understanding why patients behave in a certain way. A vigorous study on attribution theory begun in 1920’s when Fritz Heider wrote a dissertation addressing phenomenology as a vital problem. In the dissertation, Heider attempted to answer a phenomenon that is caused when an object is perceived and the subsequent physical media by which it was sensed. For instance, someone will associate ticking of a watch with the passage of time and this is what he referred to as attribution. The whole process is perceived by the sensory organs of the body which is then translated into sensory data and the data are finally interpreted into something substantial. Heider also argued that the theory could be helpful in explaining how people perceive each other. He referred to this phenomena as personal perception which he further divided into two categories; personal causality for instance giving a helping hand to someone in trouble. The second category is impersonal causality which is concerned with describing events that are exclusive to a given person. Other theorists, such as Bernard Weiner and Harold Kelley, tend to describe Heider’s works as distinctive between internal or personal causes and external or situational causes of behavior change. On the other hand, control theory was developed by Walter Reckless in the year 1973. The theory was developed following an attempt by Walter to explain how weak bonds lead to deviant behaviors among friends and the society as a whole. Likewise, people who are not affiliated to a certain family are prone to committing crimes for their own selfish interests. This is unlikely in people who have strong bonds because the end result of being deviant will be costly not only to the person but damaging to the reputation of all the family members. According to Walter Reckless, deviant acts are attractive to all individuals but social bonds puts a restraint on would be perpetrators. Deviance is caused by constant exposure to unfavorable social situations which leads individuals into developing antisocial behaviors (Malle, 2004 p. 103). Some deviations are attractive, that is why Walter developed the control theory which encourages the creation and subsequent affiliation to family members through a social bond. Walter’s control theory is supported by the primary principle of social bonds where four elements that determine social bonds have been identified. These elements entail attachment, commitment, belief and involvement. These ideas in support of control theories were forwarded by Travis Hirschi who describes human beings as selfish because everyone makes choices that will accord them maximum benefits. Travis is in support of Walters’ ideas such that control is majorly affected through social bonds. In his attempt to support the efficacy of the principle, he states that people work not because they want to but because through working, they get to settle bills and define the kinds of life status that they would like to sustain for themselves and their families. The people that are not employed will end up committing deviant acts in order to get income and other resources that will enable them to survive (Hirschi, 1969, p 36). The attributive theory is based on the principle of perception. The theory attempts to explain how people perceive themselves while at the same time accounting for each other’s behavior. Perception as a principle is made possible through understanding the motives or intentions of the second party. Heider’s model also attempts to explore the nature of interpersonal relationships and the role played by naive psychology. According to Heider’s theory, common sense is essential in establishing internal and external attributions. The causal agents of certain behaviors can be associated to certain individuals depending on their ability, moods and attitudes and personality. On the other hand, external attribution can is associated with an external causal agent which is independent of a person’s own ability. The external attribution is largely dependent on the situation and no other people, for instance, sneezing (Forsterling & Harrow 1988, p. 187). These two classifications of perceptions are pertinent in helping a clinical psychologist to understand his or her patients and how to deal with their various psychological needs. The two theories are basically cited upon different theories; attributive theory is based on perception while control theory is based on social bonds. Whereas the two theories appear to be different, there are fundamental aspects that interconnect the two theories making them dependent on each other. Perception is necessary in creation of any type of a relationship or association between two or more people. For example, all people act according to the situation. In addition, the game theory comes in handy in trying to establish the bond between the two theories. At first everyone will act defensive upon meeting a stranger then with time a bond is created basing on the degree of trust between them. In our case, social bonds are created by perception. This means that the attributive theory plays a fundamental role in establishing the relationship between control theory and attributive theory. Clinical psychology is a diverse field that needs a lot of experience to develop professionalism. Learning these two key theories will help a psychologist establish such aspects as perception and the place of social bonds in determining the character of an individual. It is only by establishing the cause of a certain behavior portrayed by an individual that a clinical psychologist is able to figure out the way forward. Post-traumatic stress disorder is common among patients feeling rejection or seclusion, therefore, the control theory will be necessary in explaining why the patient is deviant (Carver & Scheier 1982, p. 116). This will help the psychologist in establishing a corrective measure suitable in guiding and counseling the traumatized patient. Secondly, the attributive theory comes in handy in giving explanations for unaccounted social behaviors. Majorly perception is based on personal opinions which are at times hard to influence. A person facing a traumatizing situation is likely to perceive people with a lot of skepticism and contempt. The main reason for such a reaction is that the trust that was once there has been broken and the social bond between individual is severely hurt. Correcting such a situation needs a lot of information on attributive theory. References Carver, C. & Scheier, M. (1982). Control theory: A useful conceptual framework for personality-social, clinical and health psychology. Psychology Bulletin, Vol. 92(1), 111-135. Forsterling, F. & Harrow, J. (1988). Attribution theory in clinical psychology; The Wiley series in clinical psychology. Oxford, England: John Wiley & Sons. Gordon, L. M. & Graham, S. (2006). Attribution theory: The encyclopedia of human development. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications. Hirschi, T. (1969). Causes of delinquency. California: University of California Press. Malle, B. (2004). How the mind explains behavior: Folk explanations, meaning and social interaction. Michigan: MIT Press. Read More