Developing a Clothing Boutique Business Start-Up Plan Using Attribution Theory
The core communication theory that this start-up plan will be predicated on is Fritz HeiderÆs attribution theory. Heider developed his theory to explain how people make causal explanations to answer questions beginning with ôWhy?ö (Brown). Heider found that people try to identify the causes of events through a process that he termed ôattribution,ö in which an individual uses orderly and rational thought processes to observe information that may shed light on causal relationships (Autere, 5-6). In attribution, other individuals become important targets of observation, and observing them becomes significant in the process of creating mental models relating to growth (Autere, 6). Heider referred to his theory as ônanveö psychology, because the causes of peopleÆs behavior are deduced from their beliefs, whether those beliefs are actually valid or not (Brown).
HeiderÆs attribution theory developed as a social psychology issue to answer questions of social perception (Brown). An example of applied attribution theory concerns the question of why a student fails a test; does failing the test mean that the student has low ability or that the test is hard? (Brown). Either way, the question concerns the causes of observed behavior, and the answer is given by ôthe man on the street,öùsomeone who is merely observing and does not actually know the answerùwhich is why Heider called attribution theory ônanveö psychology (Brown). ôAttribution theory describes the processes of explaining events and the behavioral and emotional consequences of those explanationsö (Brown).
ôAttributionsö are the hallmark of HeiderÆs theory, being ôthe causes individuals generate to make sense of their worldö (Brown). Attributions are essentially the ôreasonsö that people perceive to be behind actions or outcomes that they observe. The attributions ...