When their company downsized due to poor economic conditions, both joanne and trish were laid off. when discussing her situation

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When their company downsized due to poor economic conditions, both joanne and trish were laid off. when discussing her situation

with some acquaintances, joanne said, "trish lost her job because she was incompetent and lazy, but i got fired because the boss couldn't handle an assertive woman like me." this example illustrates a social psychological principle called:?

Social Studies

2 answers:

enot [1.5K] · Answer 1 · 2026-04-05T16:35:03+03:00

The appropriate response is the actor-observer discrepancy bias. This bias describes the tendency to attribute our own actions to external circumstances while attributing others' behaviors to internal qualities. In this case, Joanne suggests that her termination was due to external influences (such as her boss’s bias), while Trish's dismissal was attributed to personal failures (incompetence and laziness).

tigry1 [1.6K] · Answer 2 · 2026-04-05T16:35:34+03:00

Attribution theory posits that individuals seek to comprehend the actions of others by ascribing feelings, beliefs, and motives to them. Joanne interprets Trish’s job loss through a variety of perceived intentions, using her beliefs and emotions to rationalize the reason behind her own termination.