CAUSAL ATTRIBUTION AND SELF-JUSTIFICATION AS EXPLANATIONS FOR THE CONSENSUS EXPECTATION OF ONES SOCIAL VALUE ORIENTATION

This study focuses on explanations for the perceived consensus of one' s own social value orientation. The prediction of the triangle hypothe sis that the consensus expectation of individualistic and competitive people is higher than that of cooperative people was partially support ed. Only individualists expected their own orientation more frequently of other people. According to a causal attribution explanation, it wa s expected that subjects' causal attributions for their own orientatio n to internal and external causes influenced their consensus expectati ons. Only attributions to internal causes differed significantly betwe en subjects with different orientations and corresponded with their co nsensus estimates. Individualim was attributed least internally, coope ration most internally, and competition in between. Additionally, dire ct support for the effect of internal attributions on consensus expect ations was found. Compared with subjects who attributed their own orie ntation more internally, subjects Who attributed it less internally we re more likely to expect their own orientation among other people. Acc ording to a self-justification explanation, it was hypothesized that t he consensus expectations of individuals and competitors would be high er when first their own social orientation was assessed and then the o rientation they expected to predominate among others than in the rever sed order. This hypothesis was not supported.