Defensive Attribution Bias
Defensive Attribution Hypothesis
A social psychological term from the attributional approach referring to a set of beliefs used as a shield against the fear that one will be the victim or cause of a serious mishap.
EverydayConcepts.io
Origin
The hypothesis was introduced by psychologist Kelvin G. Shaver in a 1970 paper in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, building on Elaine Walster's 1966 study in the same journal showing that people assigned greater blame to an actor as the consequences of an accident grew more severe. Shaver added the second dimension: observers also assign less blame when they personally resemble the actor — a psychological defense against acknowledging their own susceptibility to similar outcomes.
Updated February 22, 2026