Attributional Models of Depression, Loneliness, and Shyness

260 CRAIG A. ANDERSON AND LYNN H. ARNOULT
seen in Table 9.4, the pattern was very similar to that found in Anderson
(1983c).
In the final study, Anderson & Arnoult (in press) had subjects generate
open-ended self attributions for each of the 20 ASAT-I situations.
Subjects then rated their own causes on five dimensions-locus, stability,
globality, controllability, and intent. In this study, then, the dimensional
locations of subject-generated attributions were determined entirely by
the subjects who generated the causes. Again, for each situation, the
interdimensional correlations were calculated across subjects and averaged
across situations. The correlations were all significant and as shown
in Table 9.4, were similar to results of the previous studies. Overall,
then, the results conclusively demonstrated that the four dimensions of
primary interest are not empirically orthogonal. Internal causes are also
relatively more stable, controllable, and global than are external causes,
for example.
What does this tell us about attributional models of problems in living?
The main point is that any simple zero-order correlation between
a dimension of attributional style and some problem in living is subject
to serious confounding. Is a correlation between globality and depression,
for instance, due to globality of attributional style or to the controllability
component of the globality measure? Two implications follow
from this confounding. First, the presence of a significant zero-order
correlation between a problem in living and a dimensional measure of
attributional style does not unequivocally support that causal dimension
as a factor in the problem. Any such zero-order correlation may be entirely
spurious. Second, the models proposed by Weiner and the learned
helplessness theorists may be too complex. There may be a single underlying
causal dimension that relates to the motivational, cognitive, and
affective features of various problems in living. Of course, two or more
dimensions may be needed. We propose that controllability is the primary
dimension affecting success expectancies, motivation, and performance
(hence, outcomes and affect). It also seems reasonable to
postulate an additional need for the locus dimension, related primarily
to affect. In the next section we present an empirical test of these predictions.
AN EMPIRICALTEST OF UNCONFOUNDED
A TTRIBUTIONALSTYLEDIMENSIONS
To address the dimensionality question we recently conducted a large
scale questionnaire study (Anderson & Arnoult, in press). College students
completed the modified depression scale (MDS), the modified
loneliness scale (MLS), and the modified shyness scale (MSS) proposed