| This study looked at how antipathies and the attributions made to our enemies concerning the outcomes of important life events affect one's self-esteem, self-efficacy, and task persistence. The results did not support either of the two hypotheses studied. However, it was found that those who succeeded persisted longer on the provided task when attributing the success to their enemy. This could be due to participants believing that they could show up the antipathy, giving them someone to compete against, which in turn lead to higher task persistence. Also, it was found that those who made external attributions while involved with an antipathy got more items correct on the task provided. Making external attributions for events could lead to a desire to prove oneself and in turn increase task persistence. |
