What is it about?
This study examines why people are willing—or unwilling—to help a friend living with HIV/AIDS, using Weiner’s attribution–emotion–action theory. Two experimental vignette studies were conducted in Kuwait with university students, presenting scenarios in which a friend contracted AIDS either through controllable causes (e.g., drug use) or uncontrollable causes (e.g., contaminated medical equipment). The research tested how perceptions of responsibility influence emotional reactions (anger, sympathy, sadness) and, in turn, willingness to help. Structural equation modeling was used to evaluate whether emotions mediate the relationship between causal attributions and helping behavior. The findings show that emotions—rather than responsibility judgments alone—play a central role in shaping help intentions.
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Why is it important?
Extends attribution theory cross-culturally: Provides rare empirical evidence from an Arab cultural context. Challenges stigma-based assumptions: Shows that helping intentions are not determined solely by blame or moral judgment. Highlights emotional pathways: Demonstrates that sympathy and concern can override negative attributions in life-threatening contexts. Public health relevance: Offers insights into reducing stigma and increasing social support for people living with HIV/AIDS.
Perspectives
This study was motivated by the need to understand helping behavior in contexts where illness, stigma, and moral judgment intersect. HIV/AIDS presents a unique case in which responsibility attributions are often strong, yet the severity of the condition evokes powerful emotional responses. By applying attribution theory in Kuwait, this work illustrates how cultural context and emotional processes shape social support decisions. I see this research as an early contribution to integrating emotion, morality, and health psychology in non-Western settings.
Prof. Othman H Alkhadher
Kuwait University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Helping a Friend with Aids: A Test of Weiner's Attributional Theory in Kuwait, Illness Crisis & Loss, January 2006, SAGE Publications,
DOI: 10.1177/105413730601400103.
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