1. Kilde:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/feb/27/victim-blaming-science-behind-psychology-research
"the just-world bias"
2. Kilde: Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime
"There are a number of reasons why people choose to blame victims for the crimes that have happened to them. These reasons stem from misconceptions about victims, perpetrators, and the nature of violent acts. Victims are sometimes wrongfully portrayed as passive individuals who seek out and submit to the violence they endure. Offenders are seen as hapless individuals who are compelled to act violently by forces they cannot control. The most popular reasons
for blaming victims include belief in a just world, attribution error, and invulnerability theory:
Just World Hypothesis:
The just world hypothesis is based on an individual’s belief that the world is a safe, just place where people get what they deserve. These individuals believe that the social system that affects them is fair, legitimate, and justifiable. Such strongbeliefs in individuals can be challenged when they encounter victims of random misfortune, such as violent crimes. The perception of these individuals is that good things happen to good people, and bad things to bad people. Therefore, when people with these beliefs view victims they believe that their victimization was caused through some fault of their own. In this way, one who believes in a just world maintains their belief because there is not an innocent, suffering victim, but someone who “deserves” their misfortune. Blaming the victim maintains beliefs of personal responsibility and controllability over social outcomes. Moreover, this hypothesis presents the world as a safe and protected place, even when in the face of hardship. Proponents of the just world hypothesis judge the harshness of events as a function of harm caused. Thus, if a victim is not harmed in a severe manner, then what happened to them can be seen as an accident. However, as the severity of harm increases, believers begin to think that ‘this could happen to me.’ Therefore, a way for these individuals to cope and restore their faith in the world is to blame victims for their misfortunes.
Attribution Error:
According to Kelly and Heider, there are two categories of attribution: internal and external. Individuals make internal attributions when they recognize that a person’s personal characteristics are the cause of their actions or situation. External attributions, however, have individuals identify the environment and circumstances as the cause for a person’s behaviour. Attribution error occurs when individuals overemphasize personal characteristics and devalue environmental characteristics when judging others, resulting in victim blaming. People who make this error view the individual victim as partially responsible for what happened to them and ignore situational causes. So-called “internal failings” take precedent over situational contributors in judgement of the subject. On the contrary, these people may have the propensity to attribute their own failures to environmental attributes, and their own successes to personal attributes.
Invulnerability Theory: Literature on Invulnerability Theory claims that those who subscribe to the theory blame victims as a means to protect their own feelings of invulnerability. The Invulnerability Theory is based on subscribers blaming the victim in order to feel safe themselves. Even friends and family members of crime victims may blame the victim in order to reassure themselves.
A common statement would be: “She was raped because she walked home alone in the dark. I would never do that, so I won’t be raped.”
The theory states that victims are a reminder of our own vulnerability. Individuals do not want to consider the possibility of losing control over their life or body; by deciding that a victim brought on the attack themselves, they create a false sense of security. This reassures people that as long as they do not act as the victim did at the time of their attack, they will be invulnerable."
"Homicide
Losing a loved one through an act of violence can be devastating for a family. No one can ever be prepared for such a loss, and no amount of counselling, prayer, justice, restitution or compassion can ever bring a loved one back. The survivors’ world is abruptly and forever changed. The awareness that your loved one’s dreams will never be realized hits. Life can suddenly lose meaning, and many survivors report that they cannot imagine ever being happy again. Further, victims of homicide are often undervalued because of the apparent or real blame that is attributed to them. Friends and family may question the victim’s lifestyle, wondering how they knew the murderer. They might make comments, such as “he was in the wrong place at the wrong time,” when this is simply not true. Questioning the innocence of the victim is very hurtful to surviving family members.
