CA and the fundamental attribution error

Upon numerous requests from Dr. Glassman I rented the movie Precious this weekend. The dramatic storyline and visuals presented in the movie helped me better understand the unfreedoms experienced by impoverished segments of the American population. The movie forced me to reconsider my position from last week that information is just as readily available to the less fortunate (e.g. the woman with 10 children must have known about the available birth control options) as it is for those who are more privileged. The privileged majority (myself) included blame those who struggle for their misfortunes failing to acknowledge the external factors which may contribute to their situation (mainly the lack of capabilities afforded them). This can be explained within a deficit model but it also reminds me of a core concept within social psychology; the fundamental attribution error (FAE). The FAE explains the tendency for individuals to over-value dispositional factors for the observed behaviors of others while under-valuing situational factors for those behaviors. Last Tuesday Dr. Serovich provided a text book example of the FAE when she suggested that my lack of initiative to take independent study may explain my deficit of applied research skills. Her lack of effortful adjustment (see explanations for FAE in the provided link) draws parallels to how most individuals view marginalized populations in their society. Of utmost concern to the Capability Approach is how it will overcome the collective attribution error that seems to stem from the psychology of its citizens. We might think about considering the FAE and similar psychological concepts in the Capability paper.