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| Cosmic Justice 2024 Geoffrey Sutton & Designer AI |
The just world
hypothesis, according to Lerner and Miller (1978), “states that people have a
need to believe that their environment is a just and orderly place where people
usually get what they deserve (p. 1030).”
In Lerner’s
view, the just world hypothesis focuses on people who observe others' suffering and interpret the observation in a way that avoids believing that they too could suffer, or at least suffer unjustly. To cope
with the discomfort, observers may act to ensure justice happens for the
victims or conclude that the victims suffer because of something they have
done.
In
experimental research, the information provided to participants who observe suffering
influences the attitude of the participants toward the person who was the
victim.
If there is
evidence that what happened to the victim is not likely to affect the observer
then, a victim derogation effect ("blame the victim") may be
seen.
An empathy
effect may reduce victim-blaming as seen in a study when participants
were asked to imagine themselves in the victim’s situation.
Religiosity
may be a factor.
In one
study, those who were more highly religious did not respond differently to
victims in different suffering contexts as did those low on religiosity, which may suggest that the highly religious believe justice will prevail—if
not in this world, then in the world to come.
The biblical story of Job appears to represent a struggle to understand why bad things happen to good people. In the New Testament, the disciples asked Jesus to explain a man's blindness by telling them who sinned--the man or his parents. Jesus did not endorse either cause (John 9: 1-12). The story reveals an enduring belief among some religious adherents that people suffer because of personal, family, or even national sin.
Measurement
A few
scales have been developed to assess just world beliefs. One example is the Just
World Belief Scale by Vondehaar & Carmody (2015). Another is the Global Beliefs in a Just World Scale (Lipkus, 1991).
Other
terms
Other terms
for the just world hypothesis include just world theory, just world fallacy, and the
just world effect. A related phrase is blaming the victim.
Application
Just world theory may explain why people blame the victims of sexual and other forms of physical abuse and various crimes. Rape victims and victims of sexual harassment have been accused of having a responsible role in the harm done to them. People who suffer from an illness or the effects of substance use disorders may be viewed as suffering as the result of poor choices. The theory may also explain the lack of concern for harm done to prisoners as if they deserve whatever they suffer in prison.
Application
Just world theory may explain why people blame the victims of sexual and other forms of physical abuse and various crimes. Rape victims and victims of sexual harassment have been accused of having a responsible role in the harm done to them. People who suffer from an illness or the effects of substance use disorders may be viewed as suffering as the result of poor choices. The theory may also explain the lack of concern for harm done to prisoners as if they deserve whatever they suffer in prison.
References
(1996) Theories of rape and the just world, Psychology, Crime & Law, 2:3, 211-229, DOI: 10.1080/10683169608409779
Gravelin, C. R., Biernat, M., & Bucher, C. E. (2019). Blaming the Victim of Acquaintance Rape: Individual, Situational, and Sociocultural Factors. Frontiers in psychology, 9, 2422. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02422
Lerner, M. J., & Miller, D. T. (1978). Just world research and the attribution process: Looking back and ahead. Psychological Bulletin, 85(5), 1030–1051. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.85.5.1030
Gravelin, C. R., Biernat, M., & Bucher, C. E. (2019). Blaming the Victim of Acquaintance Rape: Individual, Situational, and Sociocultural Factors. Frontiers in psychology, 9, 2422. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02422
Lerner, M. J., & Miller, D. T. (1978). Just world research and the attribution process: Looking back and ahead. Psychological Bulletin, 85(5), 1030–1051. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.85.5.1030
Lipkus, Isaac. (1991). The construction and preliminary validation of a global belief in a just world scale and the exploratory analysis of the multidimensional belief in a just world scale. Personality and Individual Differences, 12(11), 1171-1178. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0191-8869(91)90081-L
Vonderhaar, Rebecca L., & Carmody,
Dianne Cyr. (2015). There are no “innocent victims”: The influence of just
world beliefs and prior victimization on rape myth acceptance. Journal of
Interpersonal Violence, 30(10), 1615-1632. doi:
https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0886260514549196
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