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Perceptions of justice: An adolescent view
Author(s) -
Motta Robert W.,
Tiegerman Solomon
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
journal of community psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.585
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1520-6629
pISSN - 0090-4392
DOI - 10.1002/1520-6629(197904)7:2<151::aid-jcop2290070209>3.0.co;2-#
Subject(s) - economic justice , perception , psychology , social psychology , developmental psychology , political science , law , neuroscience
The present study extended the research on perceptions of justice to the adolescent population and examined the extent to which locus of control, rationality of thought, and age were related to these perceptions. Data were obtained from 166 students in grades 7–10. Adolescents tended to perceive the world as moderately unjust and this outlook remained relatively stable through time. An internal locus of control was shown to be related to a tendency to perceive the world as just, but perceptions of justice and rationality were not significantly related to each other. A significant relationship was found between rationality and an internal locus of control. Research was suggested to explore the possible similarity of perceptions of world justice between parents and children. Implications were discussed regarding the ostensible lack of relationship between rational thinking and whether the world was perceived as just.