How are evaluations of positive and negative experiences related to the intensity of affect in workgroups?

This study explored appraisals and attributions that workgroup members make regarding events that elicit affective reactions. Fifty-nine employees in workgroups in an organization completed a survey in which they described group experiences, appraisals associated with those experiences, and attributions for those experiences. The results suggested that the intensity of affective experiences in workgroups is linked to group goals and group process. Additionally, for positive experiences, individuals were as likely to attribute credit for positive experiences to others within and outside the group as they were to themselves. In contrast, individuals were much more likely to attribute blame for negative experiences to others within the group than they were to themselves or others outside the group. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)