Attributions

In this post, I will first discuss attribution theory and its components. After, I will attempt to connect June's cognitive attributions that impacted her emotions and motivations to short term and long term outcomes.  

Attribution theory is a theory which addresses how people evaluate and determine causes of occurrences, as well as their own behavior and the behavior of others. In other words, it is what a person attributes to the cause of an event or behavior. To identify how this process works, there are attributions links: perceived causes (attribution), subsequent motivation and emotion (due to perceived cause) and finally, subsequent action (due to perceived cause). Within causal attributions there are three main causal-dimensions (Weiner): Locus of control, which can be internal (self) or external (other) sense of control for who or what cause the event. Controllability is how much a personal control was involved in the event. Finally, stability is the degree of which the event was changeable or stable. 

In the case of June, let's go back to the beginning when June and her daughter were captured in the woods by the Gilead regime. June, her husband Luke, and daughter Hannah were attempting to escape the grasp of the regime and head to Canada, though ended up in a car chase. When the regime started to weigh in on them, Luke decided to pull over to the side of the road and distract them so June and Hannah could make a run for it. While June and Hannah are running hastily through the woods, a gunshot is fired, leaving June running faster. Eventually, the regime captures both June and Hannah and separates them.

Analyzing June in this opening scene, let's look at the three main causal-dimensions. June's Locus of control (who caused the event and whether it's internal or external control). As far as we know, as the viewer, this incident was an external control, because this event was beyond her control. Regardless of who was in the car, the regime would have chased after anyone trying to leave the uprising Gilead region. When June's husband pulled the car over, that was also external, she wasn't in control of the vehicle. Her choice to run through the woods with Hannah however, I would say was more internal, because she could have stayed with her husband at the car, though chose to escape to the woods. Finally, when June and Hannah were finally captured, she tried to fight back, though there were too many to fight off. As far as controllability, I would say the event was uncontrollable. June did all she possibly could've to avoid getting captured, though she inevitably was. Finally, the stability of the event, I would say was stable, at least for that specific event, due to June not given any sort of choice in what happened to her or her daughter. However, looking at the stability, long-term, we see that June creates massive change, not only for herself, but for others in Gilead. Overall, the reoccurring emotions June expresses is resentment, anger, and fear, due to external, uncontrollable, and stable events. 

Goal Setting Theory & Self-Regulation

Goal setting theory according to Lock & Latham (2002), points out what motivates people to set certain goals and complete tasks that follow along each goal, as well as how people regulate themselves while reaching their goals. Lock & Latham (2002), found that there are four systems in place when setting goals. First is direction, which steer an individual’s attention and effort toward goal-relevant activities and away from goal irrelevant activities. Second is energy, which states that hard goals lead to greater effort than low goals. The third system in place is persistence, stating that hard goals require prolonged effort. Finally, the fourth type of goal, is action orientated through which a person is motivated through their excitement of new competences and abilities. 

Applying Lock & Latham's goal setting theory to our character June, we see that her motivation for setting small goals to reach her overall goal of escaping involves each of the four aspects of the theory. Throughout each season, June's attention is focused on getting information to help not only herself, but others escape as well. In her efforts, June consistently avoids getting caught doing anything she wasn't supposed to do and maintains constant energy and attention for obtaining any information that will help keep her cover. In doing this, June remains persistent throughout each obstacle she faces, because she knows that with large efforts and risks will show great rewards. Furthermore, each time June accomplishes her goals, we see her confidence grow in her skills and competences. For instance, when she is persuades Serena to let go of her baby so that she can have a better life on the outside, and Serena does let go, June's enthusiasm grows for harder challenges. 

Additionally, self-regulation is an important facet in goal-setting theory. It states that the harder the goal, the more it requires an individual to regulate their effort-full behavior towards their goals. For June, the more intertwined she became with the Waterfords (the man and women who owned her) and her leadership within the "underground" handmaid's, so to speak, the harder she worked at keeping her cover while also hiding her conspiracies.

     

Expectancy-Value Theory

This blog post will cover Expectancy-Value Theory and how June's motivation is derived from the theory.

To start, Expectancy-Value Theory involves two major components that lead to one's motivation; expectancy and value. The theory states that one's expectancy, beliefs about capabilities and expectancies for success is multiplied by one's personal values, such as goals, reasons, incentives, personal values, etc.
 

Expectancy  X   Value  =  Motivation

If someone has high expectancy about their capabilities AND high values surrounding their goal, then they will have high positive motivation. If someone has low expectancy for their capabilities AND low value for the goal, they will have no motivation. If someone has high expectancy for their capabilities BUT low to no value for the goal, then they may struggle to find motivation or have no motivation. Furthermore, if someone has low expectancy for their capabilities BUT highly values the goal, they also may struggle to find motivation or have no motivation for the goal. 

Applying this theory to our main character, June from The Handmaid's Tale, we will look at her motivation from the Expectancy-Value Theory for smuggling 52 girls on an airplane out of Gilead. From the start of the series, June's value for getting her and her daughter out of Gilead was high and her beliefs about her success for escaping ebbed and flowed with each life-threatening event that happened to her. However, she never lost sight of her capabilities to push through any obstacle (high expectancy) which gave her great motivation to continue striving for success in any situation she found herself in. Her constant motivation lead to one of the biggest events of the series, in season 3, when she smuggled 52 girls out of Gilead. Her high self-efficacy for getting her baby and a handmaid out of Gilead lead to other handmaid's, Martha's, and her owners to listen. This aided her in getting the plane. Furthermore, because June sees Gilead as it truly is- a manipulative totalitarian government, in which hundreds of women and children, including herself and her daughter, are held against their will, she highly values escaping Gilead.

CET & Self-Efficacy

Self-determination Theory there are two sub-theories; Cognitive Evaluation Theory (CET) and Organismic Integration Theory (OIT). This post will focus on CET and describe how June's motivation was impacted by perceptions of Competence, Autonomy, and Relatedness. Additionally, this post will discuss June's possible perceptions of her self-efficacy within Gilead. 

CET is a theory that focuses on two elements; an individuals' intrinsic motivation and elements of environmental supports needed for individuals' intrinsic motivation. In order for one to gain intrinsic motivation from environmental supports, they need to have the three basic human needs; competence, autonomy, and relatedness. 

In The Handmaid's Tale, June, our main character, has quite the intrinsic motivation for all of her daring actions. Again, June has been captured and made to participate in unspeakable handmaid activities; ritualistic rapings, group murdering, pregnancy, and following every order given to her by everyone- except other handmaids and Martha's (housemaid's). As the viewer, we get the privilege of hearing her inner thoughts on almost everything happening to her and going on around her. June's ultimate goals throughout the first 2 1/2 seasons is to not only escape Gilead, but escape with her daughter- which turns out to cause her more obstacles along her journey. In the last half of the 3rd season, June meticulously persuades the wife of the house she is living in to visit a school that has June's daughter. Seeing how many little girls have been stripped of their mothers, June decides to break the girls out of Gilead- with help from the Martha's and an airplane pilot who is against the government. 

As previously mentioned, in order for one to gain intrinsic motivation from environmental supports, they need to have the three basic human needs; competence, autonomy, and relatedness. In June's case, she feels she has the competence to manipulate the man and wife that own her; she does this by making deals with them. For instance, telling the Canadian government that she enjoys being a handmaid for Fred and Serena (the man and wife that own her), so they will let her see her daughter (this happened twice). In Gilead, there are few who have autonomy, let alone June. However, June finds little ways to maneuver throughout the house when she needs fresh air a night or when she wants to talk to the driver of the household (whom she later has a secret relationship with). As far as relatedness, June quickly develops friendships with the other handmaids and Martha's, and carries out undercover missions to get people out of Gilead. As a whole, these women become the strongest working force against Gilead, due to June's sense of self-efficacy with getting women out of Gilead- including her own newborn daughter and a group of school-aged girls.