| Abstract: | This article comments on a recent study by Heim and Snyder (1991) which explores the interaction between marital distress and spouses' attributions in predicting depression. We suggest taht the attributional theory model may set up a reductionistic research stance that potentially separates what depressed people think from their circumstances and history, thus implying a linear relationship between thinking, depression, and, in this case, marital distress. We also question whether the authors' focus on women's attributional processes, combined with their reliance on a potentially unidimensional model of depression, might inadvertently support preexisting power imbalances in the marital relationship. Finally, we address research design issues regarding measurement, sampling, and statistical concerns. |
