Perceptions of personal victimizations : a comparison of predictions made by the defensive attribution and just world models
Year: 1981
Type: article
Abstract: Predictions derived from two models of victim perception, one suggesting that perceptions of victims are based on selfprotective needs (defensive attribution), and one advocating that perceptions of victims are based on a view that undeserved outcomes require justification (just world) were evaluated against subjects1 perceptions of stimulus cases portraying personal victimizations. Three factors, victim similarity, personal relevance of the situation, and the severity of the outcome for the victim, were manipulated in a 3 x 3 x 2 between-groups design. The results indicated no support for the just world model and only limited support for the defensive attribution model. A third model of victim perception, "normative expectations," was introduced to account for the pattern of responsibility attributions representing subjects' perceptions of the stimulus cases. This model suggests that people evaluate others in terms of expectations based on general social norms. The results are shown to conform to predictions derived from the model.
Author: Kenneth J. Gruber
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2919413781