2005-03-01
Belief in a just world, causal attributions, and adjustment to sexual violence
Publication
Publication
Social Justice Research , Volume 18 - Issue 1 p. 25- 42
What influence do the personal belief in a just world (i.e., the perception that one usually gets what one deserves) and different kinds of causal attributions have on adjustment to sexual violence? Using a sample of N = 62 victims of sexual aggression (mean age = 21.7) it was shown that respondents were better able to adjust to their experience of sexual violence the higher their personal belief in a just world. Moreover, the more respondents attributed their victimization to situational circumstances (external attributions) and the less they attributed their victimization to their character and personality (characterological self-attributions), the less they felt distressed by past victimization. The degree to which participants attributed their victimization to their own concrete behavior (behavioral self-attribution) was not related to their adjustment. Further analyses showed that the influence of the personal belief in a just world was mediated by the three attribution styles. Additionally, the adaptiveness of external attributions was moderated by participants' just world belief.
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| doi.org/10.1007/s11211-005-3369-1, hdl.handle.net/1765/62388 | |
| Social Justice Research | |
| Organisation | Erasmus Research Institute of Management |
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Fetchenhauer, D., Belschak-Jacobs, G., & Belschak, F. (2005). Belief in a just world, causal attributions, and adjustment to sexual violence. Social Justice Research, 18(1), 25–42. doi:10.1007/s11211-005-3369-1 |
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