You will need to read the following two short scenarios about different events (one good, and one bad), and you will be asked to answer questions about the nature of the characters and how they behaved/thought in their circumstances. Remember to consider Rotter's Locus of Control, the traits of Optimism and Pessimism, and the Categories of Attributions from the lecture commentary as you read through. Feel free to read and reread as much as necessary - the passages will still show once you begin the quiz and you have unlimited time to complete it.

Scenario #1

One Monday morning drive to work on the freeway, Jean had to slow down for a car crossing in front of him but the person behind him did not do the same and rear-ended him. Jean was already running late for work, and to him, this just seemed like one more bad thing to deal with in starting his day. Although he was obeying the speed limit and normal traffic laws, Jean tells himself that it was somehow his fault. He thought that if he only got out of bed sooner and left for work on time he would have avoided this situation. Jean got especially worked up as the damage was going to cost a lot of time and money. He feels that bad things often happen to him, and if you ask his friends, they would say he does not have a very positive outlook on life.

He calls his best friend Rose to come pick him after calling off work and getting his car towed to the auto-body shop. Rose is in contrast a rather positive person and likes to see the good things even in bad situations. She can tell Jean is very distraught over the accident. To calm him down, she kindly reassures him that this was a fluke instance and that he did not cause this in any way. She also tells him that this kind of thing is super rare. She said, "today you just so happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, but you thankfully are not injured. You are not a bad person, and the chances of this ever happening again are so slim you shouldn't worry about it!"

Scenario #2

Upon getting to work this past Friday, Jerome was informed by his boss that he was getting a promotion to a new supervisor position he had been gunning for. The made Jerome really happy, and he went on to celebrate with friends later that night. To Jerome, he felt that the reason he got this promotion was because of all the hard work he has put in at this job and the fact that he is a good-natured person who is valuable to others. In general, people who work with Jerome would tend to agree with him that he is a pleasure to be around. He always thinks positively and encourages others when they are feeling stressed out. He even helps them any way he can so that the office remains an enjoyable place for everyone.

On the same day, Jerome's coworker Sheila is offered a promotion to his old position now that that it is vacant. The boss came to her directly without requiring applications because he felt that she is a hard worker who deserves some recognition. Sheila, however, felt like she did not deserve this promotion at all. She thought that the only reason she was getting this was because of external circumstances that Jerome got promoted and people in her position typically move up to fill what was his title anyways. Sheila does not think that she is as valuable of a worker as Jerome and worries she might let everyone down in her new position. Overall, Sheila is very hard on herself and tends to see the negatives in things much more easily than positives.