Abstract
This study provides evidence in support of recent extensions of the learned helplessness model of depression. Following hypothetical failure at an oral examination, depressed female university students reported more attributions than nondepressed students and attributed their failures more often to global, stable, and internal factors. In addition, depressed students decreased their expectancies of future success across a wider range of situations than did their nondepressed peers. Finally, presenting subjects with a variety of attributional alternatives for their failures was found to remedy the detrimental effect of failure on subsequent expectancies of success. This “therapeutic effect” was strongest among the depressed subjects, thus counteracting the usual failure generalization. Implications for the cognitive treatment of depression are discussed.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abramson, L. Y., Seligman, M. E. P., & Teasdale, J. Learned helplessness in humans: Critique and reformulation.Journal of Abnormal Psychology 1978,87 49–74.
Blaney, P. H., Behar, V., & Head, R. Two measures of depressive cognitions: Their association with depression and with each other.Journal of Abnormal Psychology 1980,89 678–682.
Diener, I. C., & Dweck, C. S. An analysis of learned helplessness: Continuous changes in performance, strategy, and achievement cognitions following failure.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 1978,36 451–462.
Fahrenberg, J., Selg, H., & Hampel, R.Das Freiburger Persönlichkeitsinventar FPI. Göttingen: Hogrefe, 1978.
Golin, S., Sweeney, P. D., & Shaeffer, D. E. The causality of causal attributions in depression: A cross-lagged panel correlational analysis.Journal of Abnormal Psychology 1981,90 14–22.
Gong-Guy, E., & Hammen, C. Causal perceptions of stressful events in depressed and nondepressed outpatients.Journal of Abnormal Psychology 1980,89 662–669.
Hollon, S. D., & Garber, J. A cognitive-expectancy theory of therapy for helplessness and depression. In J. Garber & M. E. P. Seligman (Eds.),Human helplessness. New York: Academic Press, 1980.
Kuhl, J. Motivational and functional helplessness: The moderating effect of state versus action orientation.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 1981,40 155–171.
Metalsky, G. I., Abramson, L. Y., Seligman, M. E. P., Semmel, A., & Peterson, C. Attributional styles and life events in the classroom: Vulnerability and invulnerability to depressive mood reactions.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 1982,43 612–617.
Miller, I. W., & Norman, W. H. Learned helplessness in humans: A review and attribution theory model.Psychological Bulletin 1979,86 93–118.
Raps, C. S., Peterson, C., Reinhard, K. E., Abramson, L. Y., & Seligman, M. E. P. Attributional style among depressed patients.Journal of Abnormal Psychology 1982,91 102–108.
Seligman, M. E. P.Helplessness: On depression, development, and death. San Francisco: Freeman, 1975.
Seligman, M. E. P., Abramson, L. Y., Semmel, A., & von Baeyer, C. Depressive attributional style.Journal of Abnormal Psychology 1979,88 242–247.
Spreen, O.MMPI Saarbrücken Handbuch. Bern: Huber, 1963.
Steinmeyer, E.-M.Depression. Ätiologie, Diagnostik und Therapie. Stuttgart: Kohlhammer, 1980.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kammer, D. Depression, attributional style, and failure generalization. Cogn Ther Res 7, 413–423 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01187169
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01187169