Just World Phenomenon

The recent terrorist attacks on Mumbai have once again shaken an entire population's faith in a world that is inherently just. Over 60 terrorist men took over nine separate, public locations at the end of November 2008 with weapons ranging from guns to grenades. By the time the killing spree was over, at least 151 people from 11 different countries were dead, along with upwards of 350 injured. In tragic events such as these, often individuals begin to question the justice of the world they live in.
One commentator on the incident writes:
"What kind of a mind would willingly turn its body into a grave? What kind of a twisted but exalted motivation is at work in a suicide mission, where marksmen and target both are annihilated to charred shreds."

The idea of "belief in a just world," otherwise known as the Just World Phenomenon, is a common assumption "that life is essentially fair, that people generally get what they deserve and deserve what they get." Belief in a just world is a technique that is often implicated in the aftermath of a disaster or difficult situation as a coping strategy. When terrible things happen, people may begin to lose faith in the idea that their world is fair and good as a whole, which often causes feelings of despair and hopelessness. For instance, a rape victim may be able to overcome their traumatic experience by convincing themselves that the perpetrator will endure appropriate consequences for his actions.

However, the Just World Phenomenon has often been criticized for its tendency to blame the victim. One study by Rubin and Peplau utilized the "Just-World Scale" to test how 19-year olds dealing with a national draft lottery in 1971 felt about those who were drafted. Those who scored high on the JWS (indicating a strong belief in a just world) had higher levels of resentment toward the draftees, rather than sympathy. The researchers believed this was due to their belief in a just world causing them to blame the victims (the draftees) for their misfortune, even though the draft was a random lottery. Similar situations occur with regard to AIDS and rape victims.

Belief in a just world is therefore somewhat of a double-edged sword. It often helps people cope with stresses such as poverty, rape, racism, and disease by giving them world views that let them believe that in the end, justice has been served. However, the same views often can be made to blame victims- often unfairly. One way to resolve these differences could be to carefully look at how much personal control a victim had over a situation. It is unfair to simply jump to conclusions by blaming innocent victims for others’ crimes.

Taylor, Alan. Mumbai under attack. 28 Nov 2008. http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/11/mumbai_under_attack.html

Waller, James. Becoming Evil: How Ordinary People Commit Genocide and Mass Killing. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.

Baumeister, R. F., & Bushman, B. J. (2008). Social psychology and human nature. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.