Natural Disaster, Perceived Control, and Attributions to Fate

Taking advantage of the natural randomization of the consequences of a major brush fire, an interview study was conducted among affected homeowners one year following the fire. In comparison with those who had been equally exposed to the fire but not burned out, those whose homes had been destroyed attributed such outcomes more to luck and less to their own efforts, despite the fact that victims did not differ from nonvictims in actual efforts during the fire nor in characteristics of their homes. These results were interpreted as a naturalistic replication of previous findings regarding the illusion of control over chance events.