Weiner's attribution theory and female orgasmic consistency

In a study of female orgasmic functioning, hypotheses derived from Weiner's (1974) achievement‐motivation model of attribution theory were contrasted with those from a model of self‐serving attributional bias. A 40‐item Sexual Behavior Questionnaire that elicited expectations and causal attributions for orgasmic and nonorgasmic coital outcomes was administered to 87 women. Predictions that (a) unexpected orgasmic outcomes will be attributed to unstable causes, (b) expectancy for future outcomes will depend on the stability of attributions made for previous outcomes, and (c) attributions for coital outcomes will be consistent with previous personal history were confirmed for high, but not low orgasmic consistency women (all ps < .05). High consistency women used a typically masculine strategy, attributing success to stable, internal causes and failure to unstable, external causes. Low consistency women, on the other hand, did not make attributions consistent with their previous history. They employed a self‐handicapping strategy by blaming themselves for failure and not taking credit for success. These results, consistent with previous attributional literature, suggest that modifications need to be made in Weiner's model as it is extended to this clinical area.