Just World Theory Of Victim Bullying

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Recommended: Essays on the Nature of Victimization

Victim Blaming Victim blaming occurs when an individual has suffered from a crime, accident or trauma and is subsequently blamed for their suffering. Blame is placed on the victim regardless of any control they had over the situation. This is typically done to alleviate cognitive dissonance or to reassure oneself that the world they live in is safe. Individuals who bully others or cause others harm often experience cognitive dissonance. Cognitive dissonance is the discomfort that is experienced when our beliefs conflict with our actions/attitudes (Aronson, Wilson, Akert, & Sommers, 2016). Cognitive dissonance is also experienced by individuals who believe in a just world theory. Just world theory is the belief that people get what they deserve, good or bad (Aronson, et al., 2016). When an individual holds a just world theory, but then sees someone who they otherwise view as innocent come to harm, cognitive dissonance occurs. To alleviate cognitive dissonance blame needs to be assigned to the victim to explain the harm they have experienced (Hayes, Lorenz, & Bell, 2013). It is important to understand why people blame victims to reduce bullying, domestic violence and sexual assaults. This is …show more content…

Students who had bullied other have the highest levels of moral disengagement and were more likely to justify the bullying due to perceived difference between themselves and their victims (Garland, et al., 2017). According to Aronson, et al. (2016) when we harm another person, such as through bullying, cognitive processes begin to justify our actions. To justify our actions, we need to differentiate between our actions and our belief of ourselves. To do this we need to find fault in other person we have harmed, by reducing their virtues and emphasizing their faults (Aronson, et al.,

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