Attributional style was investigated in remitted affective disorder patients (23 unipolars and 26 bipolars) and 26 non‐psychiatric controls. We found a specific cognitive vulnerability in unipolars. Unipolars attributed negative events to causes that were more stable – but not more internal nor more global – than bipolars and controls, and did not attach more importance to these events. Attributional vulnerability seemed more apparent in patients with longer histories of depre