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That Could Be Me (or Not): Senseless Violence and the Role of Deservingness, Victim Ethnicity, Person Identification, and Position Identification 1
Author(s) -
Lodewijkx Hein F. M.,
Kwaadsteniet Erik W.,
Nijstad Bernard A.
Publication year - 2005
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.1559-1816.2005.tb02174.x
Subject(s) - blame , ethnic group , social psychology , psychology , identification (biology) , position (finance) , criminology , human factors and ergonomics , poison control , political science , medical emergency , medicine , law , business , botany , finance , biology
Building on just‐world theory, the current study examined variables contributing to the labeling of violent incidents as senseless. In a 2 × 2 (Blame Opportunities x Victim Ethnicity) design, Dutch participants ( N = 78) were provided with a written hypothetical situation depicting a violent incident. Consistent with predictions, the violence was evaluated to be less deserved and more senseless (and the desired penalty for the offender was stronger) when participants had no opportunity to blame the victim than when they did have an opportunity to blame the victim. Likewise, an act of violence committed against a victim belonging to an ethnic minority (allochthonous victim) was perceived to be more deserved and less senseless (and the desired penalty for the offender was smaller) than a similar violent act directed against a native (autochthonous) victim. Findings designate that the just‐world theory offers a promising approach to investigate factors determining the labeling of violent incidents as senseless by outside, uninvolved observers.