An example of the just-world hypothesis is the belief that if an individual wants to experience positive outcomes, they simply need to work hard to get ahead in life. This illustrates the worldview by assuming that personal effort directly and fairly determines one's life rewards.

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The just-world hypothesis is the belief that people get the outcomes they deserve. This worldview helps individuals maintain a sense of fairness, predictability, and control over their lives by reinforcing the idea that positive outcomes happen to good people and negative outcomes happen to bad people. A significant consequence of this belief is the tendency to blame victims for their own misfortune, as it preserves the idea that the world is just.

Just-World Hypothesis

Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020, April 22). Psychology (2nd ed.). OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/1-introduction

OpenStax Psychology (2nd ed.) Textbook

Victim blame is the tendency to hold individuals responsible for their own misfortune. This often arises from a dispositional approach to explaining behavior, common in Western cultures, where negative outcomes are attributed to the person's own actions or character rather than external factors.

Victim Blame

Research indicates that individuals who strongly adhere to the just-world hypothesis are more likely to harbor negative attitudes towards certain groups. For instance, they may hold unfavorable views of people who are unemployed or those living with AIDS, as these beliefs can lead to blaming individuals for their adverse situations.

Just-World Beliefs and Negative Attitudes Towards Stigmatized Groups

After watching a news story about a family whose house was destroyed by a tornado, a viewer remarks, "It's a shame, but they probably shouldn't have been living in an area with so many storms. Responsible people would have known the risks." Which cognitive tendency best explains this viewer's reaction to the family's misfortune?

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