Judgments of Personal Responsibility for HIV Infection: An Attributional Analysis

This article examines the influence that attributions of personal responsibility for infection with the human immunodeficiency virus have on service and policy responses to the epidemic. A model of attributed responsibility is proposed that classifies social judgments of another person's behavior that take into account the extent to which the behavior caused the situation, the person knew or should have known the potential consequences of the behavior, the person intended to engage in the behavior, and factors over which the person had little or no control might have influenced the behavior. Research has shown that attributions of responsibility lead to increased anger, decreased empathy, and a diminished willingness to offer help to others in need. The author concludes that awareness of attributions of responsibility may help reduce their discriminatory effects at all levels of social work practice.