Just-World Hypothesis
It is to our psychological benefit to believe that others are to blame for their own misfortunes; after all, if it was a situation they could not control, those misfortunes could befall us as well. As such, we are motivated to believe that things happen for a just reason—good things happen to good people, and bad things happen to bad people. That is, we have belief in a just world. Therefore, since we are evidently good people (in our own opinions—even the world’s most notorious criminals likely think of themselves as good people), only good things will happen to us, and thus we are safe from harm and need not continually fear the future.
The more strongly one holds this belief, the more one will think that people who have fallen on hard times are responsible for their plights. Whether we attribute the source of people’s behavior to disposition or situation is not only important because of what it leads us to believe about others; it also has very serious practical implications. If we blame others for their problems, we are less likely to offer them help, with our hands, wallets, or votes. By contrast, if we blame the situation, we do provide help. If a person has lung cancer and we believe that it is because she smokes, we will not feel bad for her or offer assistance. If we believe that the cancer is due to chance, genetics, or secondhand smoke exposure, we will feel worse for the person and offer whatever help we can provide.
This assignment is focuses on the above information as well as the attributional biases section of this chapter. You may use your book, notes, power points to help you answer the questions below. Remember, all work is to be in own words.
- Consider the belief that victims of rape are to blame for their sexual assault. (Note: If you feel uncomfortable answering the above prompt, you can substitute with—-consider the belief that victims of domestic violence are to blame for their abuse.) Using the just-world hypothesis, provide an explanation for this viewpoint.
- Why do some people subscribe to these types of beliefs?
- Is there a psychological benefit for the belief in a just-world?
Answer preview for Just-World Hypothesis
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