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Explanations by professional care staff, optimism and helping behaviour: an application of attribution theory

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

Robert Sharrock ,
Andrew Day ,
Fara Qazi  and
Chris R. Brewin
Robert Sharrock*
Affiliation:
Departments of Psychology and Forensic Psychiatry, and MRC Social and Community Psychiatry Unit, Institute of Psychiatry, London; Denis Hill Unit, Bethlem Royal Hospital, Beckenham, Kent
Andrew Day
Affiliation:
Departments of Psychology and Forensic Psychiatry, and MRC Social and Community Psychiatry Unit, Institute of Psychiatry, London; Denis Hill Unit, Bethlem Royal Hospital, Beckenham, Kent
Fara Qazi
Affiliation:
Departments of Psychology and Forensic Psychiatry, and MRC Social and Community Psychiatry Unit, Institute of Psychiatry, London; Denis Hill Unit, Bethlem Royal Hospital, Beckenham, Kent
Chris R. Brewin
Affiliation:
Departments of Psychology and Forensic Psychiatry, and MRC Social and Community Psychiatry Unit, Institute of Psychiatry, London; Denis Hill Unit, Bethlem Royal Hospital, Beckenham, Kent
*
1Address for correspondence: Robert Sharrock, Departments of Psychology and Forensic Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London SE5 8AF.
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Synopsis

It is demonstrated first that staff explanations of problem behaviour can be reliably coded using a modified form of the Attributional Style Questionnaire; and second, that staff explanations are related through staff optimism to anticipated helping behaviour. This supports the hypothesis that, in professional staff, an important determinant of helping is optimism arising from attributions of a patient's problems. The influence of affective judgements, as emphasized in Weiner's (1986) theory of helping behaviour, is not supported.

Type
Orginal Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 20 , Issue 4 , November 1990 , pp. 849 - 855
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1990

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