PUBLIC REACTIONS TOWARDS PEOPLE WITH AIDS - AN ATTRIBUTIONAL ANALYSIS

This article addresses the issue of stigmatization and discrimination towards people with AIDS (PWAs) using Weiner's attributional theory of motivation and emotion. In a field experiment, subjects responded to vignettes describing patients with AIDS, syphilis, lung cancer or tube rculosis. In these vignettes, the onset of the diseases was either des cribed as personally controllable or as uncontrollable. Results show t hat although attributional variables do account for a significant amou nt of variance in helping behavior and emotions towards PWAs, other va riables such as the incurability of the disease, the risk of infection and associations with (homo)sexuality, may be more useful in explaini ng reactions to PWAs. Implications for education tailored at the preve ntion of the stigmatization of PWAs are discussed.