This study examined the effects of generalized self-efficacy (GSE) on causal attribution and coping behavior for negative events. Two negative events were described, and for each of them, 238 undergraduates were asked to imagine themselves being faced with the event, and rate the likelihood of six probable causes for it, how likely that they would adopt each of nine coping behaviors, their specinc self-efficacy (SSE) to prevent it next time, and its seriousness. In addition, they filled a GSE scale. For each event, 166 students rated its seriousness as fairly to very serious, and were selected for further analysis. Results showed different patterns for men and women. Men with high GSE attributed the negative event more to internal and controllable causes, and less to external ones than those with low GSE. On the other hand, women with high GSE attributed it less to internal causes than those with low E.Both men and women with high GSE showed a higher SSE, and adopted more active coping behavior.
Key words:generalized self-efficacy, negative events, causal attribution, coping behavior