The president of a small Asian country was hailed as a visionary and a genius when the nation's economy burgeoned during his first term in office. However, when the currency and the stock markets crashed during his government's second term, he was censured as arrogant, elitist, and shortsighted. Which of the following theoretical approaches is reflected here?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The scenario describes how the president's positive evaluation changed to a negative one due to external factors, indicating attribution theory. This theory explains how people make judgments about the behavior of others by attributing the causes of their actions either to the person's traits or to the situation/circumstances. In this case, the president's success is attributed to his traits, as a visionary and a genius, while his failure is attributed to his arrogance, elitism, and shortsightedness.

The President of a Small Asian Country Was Hailed as a Visionary