Attributions in the Advice Columns

Abstract

Two hundred explanatory statements were obtained from a sample of 61 letters and replies published in newspaper advice columns. These items were categorized according to Referent Subject (selflactor, otherlobserver, both), Referent Mode (descriptive, prescriptive), Locus of Explanation (internal, external, both), and Cause versus Reason. Reasons outnumbered causes 135 to 65. For descriptive attributions (n = 161), which describe a behavior and then give an explanation, the actor-observer divergence, as modified by theorists interested in the cause/reason distinction, emerged as predicted: Explanations from actors were most often situational (external) reasons; observers' attributions favored internal causes. Prescriptive attributions (n= 39), which state what a person should do or should have done and then explain why, were always reasons and were generally given by observers who cited the advisee's circumstances as justifying the prescription. Findings for descriptive attributions raise questions about the adequacy of a strictly causal attribution theory and the range of applicability of the internal external locus dimension.