Adaptive attribution style

Attribute means to determine the underlying cause or reason for a particular event or situation. For example, in colloquial terms, "blaming something or someone" is a way of attributing the source of conflict to a specific problem.

A negative attribution style can negatively affect a person's emotional well-being. This style focuses on negative aspects and can lead to a distorted perception of oneself. To prevent this, it is important to work on developing self-esteem and confidence.

Characteristics.

The attribution style is composed of two factors:

• The internal: when success or failure is attributed to internal conditions, such as a person's actions or individual characteristics (intelligence, shyness, etc.).

• External: when events in the environment are attributed to external conditions, such as chance. For example, if you consider that success in your children's education is due to luck or following external advice, rather than to your ability to apply your knowledge.

Attribution style.

When attribution is negatively focused, personal capabilities are not valued. For example, someone might say, "I failed the exam because I'm not smart" or "I deserve to get everything wrong because I do everything wrong."

Similarly, when events are attributed to external factors, the situation is evaluated with a strong emphasis on chance. An example would be: "I passed the exam because the teacher gave me the points for free".

Positive attribution style.

With a positive or adaptive attribution approach, one tries to be more flexible and not so critical of oneself. Events are perceived as a result of our capabilities. For example: "I passed the exam because I studied hard enough" or "I didn't do well, but I tried hard".

When something does not go as expected, we attribute that bad luck to external factors and recognize that not everything is under our control. An example would be: "I couldn't pass the exam because I was sick all week".

This adaptive style involves perceiving events in a temporal context. For example, instead of thinking, "I always fail exams," one can state, "I failed an exam, but that doesn't mean I will always fail."

Similarly, instead of convincing ourselves with phrases such as "I never know how to solve anything," we can use: "I didn't know how to approach that particular situation, but that doesn't mean that I am incapable of solving problems.

Flexibility.

By being flexible, we avoid over-blaming ourselves and understand that:

• Finding responsibility is not the same as blaming ourselves for everything or belittling our merits.

• If we do something well thanks to our effort, we should praise, recognize and reward ourselves.

• If something is attributed to external factors, we must also recognize it. This does not mean justifying ourselves.

Self-efficacy.

Self-efficacy:

• Refers to the vision we have of our capabilities and boosts our confidence.

• It allow