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Observer Perceptions of Would‐Be Provider and Would‐Be Recipient Reactions to Rejected Social Support 1
Author(s) -
Jung John
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
journal of applied social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.822
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1559-1816
pISSN - 0021-9029
DOI - 10.1111/j.1559-1816.1990.tb01488.x
Subject(s) - blame , perception , social psychology , psychology , affect (linguistics) , social perception , observer (physics) , communication , physics , quantum mechanics , neuroscience
Role‐playing observers predicted the reactions of hypothetical would‐be recipients whose requests for social support were unmet as well as those of hypothetical would‐be providers for their rejection of such requests. The extent to which the would‐be recipient was depicted at fault for the problem was predicted to affect perceived reactions since support may be less likely when potential recipients are blameworthy than when they are innocent of responsibility for their predicament. Observers perceived would‐be recipients of support as believing that would‐be providers blamed them. Observers saw would‐be providers as blaming the would‐be recipients rather than themselves, especially if the victim was blameworthy. When the victim was not blameworthy, would‐be providers were more likely than would‐be recipients to be judged to use a mixture of rationalizations and excuses rather than blame.