A model that conceptualizes career stress for faculty members and that suggests options for enhancing career vitality is considered. The model draws upon attribution theory, the locus of control in work of Julian Rotter and the literature of depression by Martin E. P. Seligman. It suggests that perceived causes, or attributions, are directly related to felt stress. The three dimensions of attributions involve pervasiveness (global vs. specific), locus (internal vs. external), and permanence (stable vs. unstable). These dimensions carry across at least three sets of consequences: chronicity or time, generality or transferability, and self-esteem or personal impact. The model suggests that the most negative and pervasive attributions would be global-internal-stable. With regard to a faculty member who has low vitality and career enjoyment, global factors predict the expectation of low vitality to recur even when new academic situations arise, while attributions to specific factors predict malaise will change with the circumstances. Internal attributions for low vitality would perceive causal factors to such intra-person dimensions as low ability or limiting personality, while external attributions would involve environmental factors, such as the academic climate. Low vitality attributed to stable dimensions involves chronicity (i.e., whether the cause of low vitality will persist or is episodic). It is concluded that understanding satisfaction and stress in terms of various career stages is important to dealing with low vitality, as are institutional personnel policies and professional development opportunities. (SW)