Attributions of Responsibility

Philip Brickman and his colleagues argue that when one sees a person in
need, one makes attributions about how responsible that person is for the
problem he or she faces and also about how much responsibility that person
should take for its solution. These attributions, in turn, influence one’s
judgment about who one thinks is best suited to deliver help, and, if one decides
to offer help oneself, they influence its form. One may be most likely
to offer direct assistance if one attributes little responsibility to that person
for solving the problem—as when a child is lost in a shopping mall. In contrast,
if one judges a person to be responsible for solving his or her problem,
as when a friend has a nasty boss, one may offer encouragement and moral
support but not directly intervene. Thus, who one thinks should provide the
remedy—oneself, experts, or the person who needs the help—depends on
attributions that one makes about responsibility.