Follow the Science - just world hypothesis

The just world hypothesis is a positive illusion that the world is fair and that actions lead to positive consequences. When confronted with cruelty and suffering people can do two things:(1) Conclude the world is not “just” or (2) Derogate the victim (blaming the victim).

People with a strong just- world belief, will be more inclined to derogate the victim (e.g., blaming poor people for their circumstances). Lerner was prompted to study justice beliefs and the just-world hypothesis in the context of social psychological inquiry into negative social and societal interactions. Lerner saw his work as extending Stanley Milgram's work on obedience.

He sought to answer the questions of how regimes that cause cruelty and suffering maintain popular support, and  how people come to accept social norms and laws that produce misery and suffering.

This interview is part of a series of talks about psychological phenomena: Psychology in Practise: https://followthescience.nl/psychology-in-practice.html