WHAT INFLUENCES CLINICIAN RESPONSIBILITY ATTRIBUTIONS - THE ROLE OF PROBLEM TYPE, THEORETICAL ORIENTATION, AND CLIENT ATTRIBUTION

Preliminary evidence suggests that therapy outcome is directly related to the similarity between client and therapist attributions of respon sibility for clients' problems (Hayes, Wall, & Shea, 1998; Tracey, 198 8). However, it is unclear what factors influence the formulation of c linicians' responsibility attributions (RAs), causing them to differ a t times from clients' RAs. This study investigated how problem type, t heoretical orientation, and client RA might affect clinician RAs. Afte r reading a vignette describing a woman with either bulimia or posttra umatic stress disorder (PTSD), 357 members of the American Psychologic al Association (147 women, 210 men) made RAs. The client with bulimia was viewed as more responsible for causing and solving her problem tha n the client with PTSD. Theoretical orientation was not a useful predi ctor of clinician RAs. Client RA did not affect clinicians' RAs.