Question

question 4 of 10
optimists tend to attribute their success to ____ and their failures to ____.

a. lucky breaks; bad breaks

b. their own abilities; things beyond their control

c. divine intervention; something they deserve

d. things beyond their control; things beyond their control

Explanation:

In the context of attribution theory (a key concept in Psychology, a subfield of Social Science), optimists typically attribute success to internal factors like their own abilities (internal, stable, controllable) and failures to external, uncontrollable factors (like situational elements beyond their control). Option A attributes both to luck, which is not typical of optimists. Option C’s “divine intervention” and “deserve” for failure is not consistent with optimistic attribution. Option D attributes both to external/uncontrollable, which is more characteristic of pessimists or other attribution patterns, not optimists.

Answer:

B. their own abilities; things beyond their control