You failed a recent exam. You think back to the exam day and remember that you were distracted by the person sitting next to you coughing the entire time, but you also know you did not study as much as you should have. If you are acting to preserve your self-esteem, to what would you be more likely to attribute your failure?
A) the coughing classmate
B) your inadequate studying
C) your lack of knowledge
D) both A and B

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Attributing failure to external factors, such as the coughing classmate, is a common way to preserve self-esteem by deflecting responsibility away from personal shortcomings, like inadequate studying.

You Failed a Recent Exam