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social psychology
You subconsciously blame victims to preserve your sense of order.
The just-world hypothesis is the tendency to believe that people get what they deserve, even in cases of random misfortune.
Research shows that when you see someone suffer, you may attribute their experience to their own character flaws to reassure yourself that the world is inherently fair.
You choose to blame the victim so you do not have to fear being one.
Where this comes from
- Study
- Melvin Lerner, 1965
- What the check found
- The definition and researcher are correct, though the specific 1965 date lacks a direct citation in the provided text, and the landmark 1966 paper (Lerner & Simmons) is the field's standard reference.
- Confidence
- Contested
Related
One of these every day, and every one names the study it came from. When a finding is contested, it says so.