EMOTIONAL CONSEQUENCES OF VARIOUS ATTRIBUTIONS OF SUCCESS

People may attribute their success in life to their own hard work and ability or to forces external to themselves like luck, chance, God, or other people. These attributions have social causes and emotional consequences (Seeman 1959; Wheaton 1980). Theory and research indicate that belief in personal control is associated with low levels of psychological distress compared to the belief that outcomes are determined by forces external to oneself. Less is known about the varieties of these external forces. If people do not attribute success to pesonal control, they may attribute it to luck, family background, connections, or God I examine the relationship of various attributions of success with distress, as measured by symptoms of depression and anxiety. I find that attributing success in life to luck and to good connections with others significantly increase distress. However, attributing success to God and to family background are not significantly associated with distress. The internal attribution of success to personal control significantly decreases distress. I discuss possible reasons why some external attributions increase distress, while others do not. © 1990 by the Ohio Valley Sociological Society.