1. Both Jim and his parents make attributions to explain his grades. Describe the dimensions of Jim’s attributions and those of his parents. When you’ve watched the video online, critique and analyze this encounter based on the principles you learned in this chapter. Then compare your work with the author’s suggested responses. Online, even more videos will let you continue the conversation with your instructor.

Your friend Jim tells you about a problem he’s having with his parents. According to Jim, his parents have unrealistic expectations of him. He tends to be an average student, but his parents are angry that his grades aren’t better. When he went home last month, his father said this:

Continuing the Conversation Jim’s father: I’m not paying for you to go to school so you can party with your friends. You have a free ride, and you’re still just pulling Cs. You just have to study harder.

Jim: I mean, I like to hang out with my friends, but that’s got nothing to do with my grades. My dad’s this brilliant guy, I mean, he just cruised through college, he thinks it’s easy. I don’t know how it was back then, but all my classes are hard. No matter how much studying I do I’m not gonna get all As. How do I convince them that I’m doing everything I can?