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fairness
You want to believe the world is inherently fair.
A 1966 study by Lerner and Simmons found that observers are more likely to disparage an innocent victim when they feel unable to intervene or compensate the victim for their suffering.
Change 1965 to 1966.
You blame the victim to protect your own belief in fairness.
Where this comes from
- Study
- Lerner (1965), Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
- What the check found
- The core psychological finding is accurate, but the date cited for the study is incorrect. The study is widely identified as Lerner & Simmons (1966).
- Confidence
- Solid, with limits
Related
One of these every day, and every one names the study it came from. When a finding is contested, it says so.