Self-Inference Processes in Emotion

Attribution theorists propose that people have a natural interest in the causes of events and behaviors in their environment. Further, perceivers' causal judgments are presumed to follow systematic rules or principles and to have important consequences (such as influencing subsequent actions). The nature and effects of causal inference processes have been the focus of much research over the past 25 years (see Harvey & Weary, 1984; Olson & Ross, 1985; Ross & Fletcher, 1985).