Copyright ©2002 The Foresight Institute. All Rights Reserved 1

Copyright ©2002 The Foresight Institute. All Rights Reserved

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““Practical Applications of The Practical Applications of The Seligman Attributional Style Seligman Attributional Style

Questionnaire (SASQ)”Questionnaire (SASQ)”

Jamie FordAttitude CoachThe Foresight InstituteTel: + 64 9 478 4066 Fax: + 64 9478 4077 E-mail: [email protected]

NZ Industrial & Organisational Psychologists

SIG - February 2003


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Agenda:

1 What is the SASQ?2 Who is Dr. Martin Seligman?3 Does Your optimism matter?4 The range of optimism’s influence?5 Can you immunise children against depression?6 What’s the value of the SASQ to business?7 Application in pre-employment assessment?8 Do we need more resilient people?9 Discussion -


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1- What is the SASQ?What is the SASQ?

• Explanatory style questionnaire - causal attributions

(Attributional Style) B Weiner - Attributional Theory of

Achievement

• 48 Items • 12 Situations - 6 negative, 6 positive• 36 Likert 7 point scales measuring 3 dimensions

– Permanence, Pervasiveness, Personalisation

• Listed in Mental Measurement Yearbook


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SASQ Sample Question


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What is the SASQ? What is the SASQ? cont.cont.

• Measuring Optimism for 2 types of situations:1 - Reaction to Adversity

2 - Reaction to Success

• Outputs on 5 point Likert scales • 1 X Overall Optimism• 4 X Reaction to Adversity / Overall and for each dimension• 4 X Reaction to Success / Overall and for each dimension


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SASQ Outputs

Overall Optimism


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SASQ Outputs

Reaction to Adversity


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SASQ Outputs

Reaction to Success


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OPTIMISM

The Seligman Definition

• Internal dialogue

• Automatic beliefs and explanations about the causes of events that occur to you

Believing that the causes of adversities and setbacks are temporary, specific to a situation, and mainly external from you.

Believing that the causes of success are permanent, global, and mainly personal to you.


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Two Types of Events/Situations - SUCCESS & ADVERSITY

Three Characteristics of Causation/Explanations ATTRIBUTIONAL STYLE

HOW YOU EXPLAIN

TO YOURSELF THE CAUSES OF

SUCCESS AND FAILURE

SUCCESS

ADVERSITY

Seldom

Just Here

Not Me

EXPLANATION

Always

Everywhere

Me

PessimistsOptim

ists

Pessimists Optimists

Personalisation

Pervasiveness

PermanenceEXPLANATION

MEASURING OPTIMISM/BUILDING MEASURING OPTIMISM/BUILDING RESILIENCERESILIENCE


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OPTIMISTIC

The general sense of its meaning

• A positive/hopeful view of the future!

• Forward focused!

The Seligman sense of its meaning

• Explanations for events that have

happened!

• Backward focused!

BIG IMPACT ON FUTURE!

BIG IMPACT ON FUTURE!

LITTLE IMPACT ON FUTURE!

LITTLE IMPACT ON FUTURE!


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OPTIMISM =

• Resilience

• Persistence

• Perseverance


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2 - Who is Dr. Martin Seligman?Who is Dr. Martin Seligman?

http://www.positivepsychology.org/


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Martin Seligman• Fox Leadership Professor of Psychology, Dept. of

Psychology, University of Pennsylvania– 20 books– 200 articles on motivation and personality– 14 years Dir. of clinical training at Upenn– Past President Clinical Psychology Division, APA– Past President, APA - 1996 to 1999 (by largest vote in

modern history of APA)

– Voted 1 of 10 most important psychologists in history of psychology (150,000 APA Members)

– Focus on Positive Psychology

• Received critical acclaim for:• The “Learned Helplessness Studies”• Developed the SASQ in the course of investigating

psychological immunity for depression


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3 - Does Your Optimism Matter?Does Your Optimism Matter?

• 600 validation studies - known?– 100 Universities

• Point - to Point relationship between Optimism Score and Results!

• Industry use arose from a presentation to the CEO’s of Life Insurance Coy’s.

PERFORMANCE• EarlierEarlier - Aptitude + Motivation = Success• NowNow - Aptitude + Motivation + Optimism =

Success


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4 - The Range of Optimism’s The Range of Optimism’s Influence?Influence?

• Sporting Achievement:– Optimists achieved faster times than Pessimists - Berkeley swim

team studies (incl. Matt Biondi) – Optimistic teams outperformed Pessimistic teams - Baseball and

Basketball - Upenn. CAVEing studies– Optimists recover faster from injuries than Pessimists - study of

elite rugby league players - James Cook Uni.

• Educational Achievement:– Students with higher optimism for negative events received

better grades– Pessimistic students did not achieve grades predicted by the

standard battery of tests– The more pessimistic students at West Point were more likely to

give up and drop out


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The Range of Optimism’s Influence? The Range of Optimism’s Influence? - - cont.cont.

• Health– Optimists had half the infectious disease rate of the pessimists - Upenn.

Student study– Human immune system studies show depressed levels of healthy cellular

activity for subjects with a pessimistic explanatory style– High optimism is a common factor for women who have survived two

bouts of breast cancer– Dramatic increases in natural killer cell activity, over the control group,

were found in a group of cancer patients who received optimism training

•Mental Health of Children:– The Penn Resiliency Project– Damaging effects of self-esteem teaching


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The Range of Optimism’s The Range of Optimism’s Influence? Influence? - cont.- cont.

Those with higher optimism scores outsell thosewith low scores by:

• 33% / 319% - Real Estate sales• 20% - Motor Vehicle sales• 29% / 39% - Telecommunications• 39% - Office Products• 25% - Banking

• 50% - Customer Service (top performers)

20% - 40% - On Average

Sales Performance


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5 - 5 - Immunising Chidren against Immunising Chidren against DepressionDepression

• The Penn Resilience Project - intermediate age:– At risk of depression (explanatory style assessment). Control group &

training group– 2 hours of optimism (explanatory style) teaching per week over 12

weeks

Outcomes assessed at conclusion & Intervals over 2 years

– Reduction in strong depressive symptoms for 35% on conclusion– Reduction in strong depressive symptoms for 100% after 2 years– Reversal of trend for increased depression in children going through and

beyond puberty– Effects of learning optimism get stronger over time

2003 - $2.8m Project with High School age Students - Largest grant in history of US Education Service


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66The Value of the The Value of the SASQ to BusinessSASQ to Business


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Metropolitan Life Case Study

Act ii Scene 1


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Act i Scene 1


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• Recruitment drive using standard hiring process plus SASQ

• Regular Force– hired from standard process only

• Special Force– failed standard process but SASQ

identified as highly optimistic

Metropolitan Life Insurance Study


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• Year 1– regular force optimists +8%

– *special force +21%

• Year 2– regular force +31%– *special force +57%

• **2 year total = 78%2 year total = 78% over the low optimists over the low optimists (pessimists)(pessimists)

Special Force stayed 3 times longer

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

pe

rce

nta

ge

1st Year 2nd Year

High Optimist Performance Difference as a Percentage Increase Over Average Low Optimist (pessimist)

Regular Force

Special Force

Metropolitan Life Insurance Study


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• Persistent and Undaunted• Resilient from setbacks• Energised by defeat• Immune to rejection• Motivated and inspired by success

Characteristics of Optimistic Sales People


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Act iii Scene 1 The Robert Dell Case


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CLIENT Z - NATIONAL SALES FORCE NEEDS ASSESSMENT RESULTS


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Resilient Attitude Skills Training - Australian Client

• 100 salespeople• Manufacturing business• 2 days training• 2 weeks application• $2.8m increase in business


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Resilient Attitude Skills Training - NZ Client

• 28 salespeople• Manufacturing business• Reduction in turnover from 30+%

to 5%• Positive impact on customer

relations


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CLIENT K - NATIONAL SALES FORCE NEEDS ASSESSMENT RESULTS


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77Pre-employment Pre-employment

AssessmentAssessment


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OUTCOMES:- Not Pro-active. - Failure to deliver results. - Decision to redesign role to suit technical strengths. - Re-advertise B D Pos. - Opportunity cost - Decision to give optimism testing greater weighting in decision process.

CASE STUDY - RECRUITMENT

POSITION: Business Development (BD) Manager

APPLICANT ISSUES: Technically – above average. Presented well, enthusiastic, motivated, very keen.

Attitude - below average optimism test score.

ACTION:• Decision made to employ on grounds

of technical competence, and with disregard for optimism test results.


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NAB Case StudyColes Supermarket Banking Project

Greg Gilbert - Project Manager for NABRequirements - Resilient Salespeople• World Search for an Attitude Testing Tool• Selected Foresight’s Seligman Attributional Style Questionnaire (SASQ) • SASQ measures Optimism (resilience) in adversity and success

OUTCOME: New employees show high levels of resilience and adapted well to role and sales results requirements


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88Do we need more Do we need more Resilient PeopleResilient People


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OUTCOMES:- Significant improvement within two months.

- 2 years later MD reported a productivity increase of 30 – 40% from the intervention.

CASE STUDY - RESILIENCE ATTITUDE CHANGE

ACTION:• Attitude/Resilience

Coaching

CHRISTINE: Marketing and Sales Manager

ISSUES: Loss of productivity. Low energy. Poor morale in sales force. Poor business results from division. Talk of resigning.

ASSESSMENT: • Low Optimism

Low - 2 Adversity Dimensions

- 3 Success Dimensions


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OUTCOMES:2 months - Budget. 4 months - No. 3 on sales ladder. 5 months - No. 1 on sales ladder. 12 months - Consistently in top 3 for sales results.

- Bringing in largest and most profitable sales.

CASE STUDY - SALES RESULTS & ATTITUDE CHANGE

ACTION:• Attitude/Resilience

Coaching.

NICK: Key Account Manager Hi Tech Industry

ISSUES: Poor productivity. Low sales. Final notice ready for immediate termination.

ASSESSMENT: • Average Optimism • Very Low - 1 Adversity Dimension

- 1 Success Dimension


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Leadership Development BHP Billiton

• Leading edge leadership provider• Future requires resilient leaders• Assess Optimism• Develop Resilience - optimism

module


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Sport Performance

Shorty Clark

Tri-Athlete

Referred by Jon Ackland - Performance Lab• Silver medallist in the New-Zealand Sprint

Tri-Championships three out of five years

• Top 6 inches preventing Gold!

• Resilience Coaching at Foresight

• Gold Medal - World masters Oct. 2002

• 18/70 - World Tri-champs Nov. 2002

• Gold Medal - NZ Sprint Tri-Champs Jan. 2003


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How can you get access to the SASQ?

• Pencil & Paper - no charge• Over the Web

• On disc• All from Foresight


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My Question To You:

WHAT ARE THE BARRIERS TO THE USE OF THE SASQ?


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““If you will call your If you will call your troubles experiences, troubles experiences, and remember that and remember that

every experience every experience develops some latent develops some latent force within you, you force within you, you

will grow vigorous and will grow vigorous and happy, however happy, however

adverse adverse your circumstances your circumstances may seem to be.”may seem to be.”

-- JOHN R. MILLER-- JOHN R. MILLER


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For further Information -

Tel: + 64 9 478 4066, Mbl + 64 21 772 079,

Fax: + 64 9 478 4077

[email protected]


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EXPLANATORY STYLE EXPLANATORY STYLE COACHINGCOACHING

SUPER 12 RUGBY - 2002 Waikato Chiefs vs NSW Watatahs

Waratahs 42 Chiefs 25 • Chiefs Coach Kevin Greene was reported in Monday’s NZ Herald as

saying, by way of explanation for the loss against the Waratahs,

We gifted them two or three tries through a lackof urgency on defence. … My concern is the lack of urgency andinvolvement, we probably had 60 to 70 per cent of territory. … They had a lot of decoy runners and ran angles,and we stood off and ended up tackling nobody. …“


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YOUR ANALYSIS YOUR ANALYSIS TASKTASK

Type of event? SUCCESS / FAILURE - GOOD / BAD

The explanation? What kind of words does Kevin Greene choose

to use in his explanation of the cause of the loss?

Permanence - Permanent, or Temporary?

Pervasiveness - Global & Universal, or Specific?

Personalisation - The Chiefs, or not the Chiefs?

The Future? What does Explanatory Style Predict?


47SOLUTION 1- PVSSOLUTION 1- PVS

We gifted them two or three tries through a lackof urgency on defence. … Waratahs scored tries because of the Chiefs defensive failures.

*PERSONAL - INTERNAL expl. for failure

My concern is the lack of urgency andinvolvement, we probably had 60 to 70 per cent of territory. … no time boundary & not specific to a period of play

PERMANENT, GLOBAL & UNIVERSAL expl. for failure

They had a lot of decoy runners and ran angles,and we stood off and ended up tackling nobody. …“(Waratahs success due to what they did do and Chiefs did not do)

EXTERNAL expl. for success of Waratahs *

A PESSIMISTIC EXPLANATION FOR THE LOSS!

The Future: High probability of more failure!

MODEL ANALYSIS


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HOW AN AUSSIE WOULD EXPLAIN THE CHIEFS LOSS TO THE WARATAHS

“They (The Waratah’s) saw a few opportunities and took them! ...

EXTERNAL expl. for failure

There was a lack of urgency and involvement for short periodsof time, but we had 60 to 70 per cent of territory. … Time bound & specific to a period of play

SPECIFIC expl. for failure

They (The Waratah’s) got lucky with their fancy decoy runners & angles. That kind of luck doesn’t last long though!

TEMPORARY & EXTERNAL expl. for success of Waratahs

AN OPTIMISTIC EXPLANATIONFOR THE LOSS!

The Future: Increased probability of Success!

MODEL SOLUTION


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EXPLANATORY STYLE EXPLANATORY STYLE COACHINGCOACHING

AMERICA’S CUP - 2003• Dean Barker was reported in Monday’s NZ Herald as saying, by

way of explanation for the 2nd loss against Alinghi; • "We made a couple of mistakes and that caused the race to

end up being a lot closer than it needed to be," Barker said

afterwards. – Barker personalised the loss - Pessimistic explanation

• "Alinghi just outsailed us right at the end."

– Barker attributes win to Alinghi, rather than luck, windshifts etc. - Pessimistic explanation

• "Now it's just up to us to make sure we don't make the same mistakes. It's not going to be a one-sided contest."

– Barker personalised the loss - Pessimistic explanation

Documents

Copyright ©2002 The Foresight Institute. All Rights Reserved 1