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Justice motivation has been considered one cause of celebrity infidelity scandals becoming flaming incidents. Nevertheless, few studies have examined how the belief in a just world (BJW), one motivation for justice, affects people's attitudes toward these incidents. This study was conducted to identify the relations among BJW, negative emotions toward infidelity (NE), and celebrity infidelity blaming (CIB). Data were collected from 1186 Japanese adults (mean age = 44.9 years, SD = 13.8; 49.4% male). The results of structural equation modeling revealed that NE positively relates to CIB and plays a mediating role between BJW and CIB. However, BJW neither facilitates NE nor positively predicts CIB; on the contrary, it suppresses both NE and CIB. The findings indicate that BJW decreases people's blame on celebrity infidelity and suggest future directions for mitigating the issues posed by casting blame on celebrities' cheating scandals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Justice motivation has been considered one cause of celebrity infidelity scandals becoming flaming incidents. Nevertheless, few studies have examined how the belief in a just world (BJW), one motivation for justice, affects people’s attitudes toward these incidents. This study was conducted to identify the relations among BJW, negative emotions toward infidelity (NE), and celebrity infidelity blaming (CIB). Data were collected from 1186 Japanese adults (mean age = 44.9 years, SD = 13.8; 49.4% male). The results of structural equation modeling revealed that NE positively relates to CIB and plays a mediating role between BJW and CIB. However, BJW neither facilitates NE nor positively predicts CIB; on the contrary, it suppresses both NE and CIB. The findings indicate that BJW decreases people’s blame on celebrity infidelity and suggest future directions for mitigating the issues posed by casting blame on celebrities’ cheating scandals.

Xenophobic violence has assumed a regular appearance in the body politic of South Africa. Such xenophobia/racism is mainly targeted at migrants from elsewhere in Africa. The phenomenon flies in the face of expectations, given the history of the struggle against apartheid, and the supportive role of the frontline states in support of that struggle. It runs counter to the inclusive ethos of the ANC government, the Rainbow Nation and South Africa’s progressive constitution. This contribution, in the spirit of conflict transformation, focuses on the occurrence of xenophobia in South Africa. Given the complexity of the context, it seeks to explain the phenomenon, using a selection of commonly used theoretical approaches, mediated through the lenses of the Just World theory, and the notion of state crimes. It challenges any notion of South Africa as a post-conflict society, finds significant government culpability for the episodes, and attempts to provide corrective policy advice, using a dynamic systems theoretical approach.

The development of measures that assess individual differences in the Belief in a Just World plays an important role in advancing research in this area. The intent of this article was to validate a new version of the Belief in a Just World Scale based on Popular Sayings (BJWPS), proposing that this measure may be an alternative to the original scale. For this, two studies were developed: Study 1 (N=160) aimed to presenting psychometric evidence for a new version of the BJWPS scale through an exploratory factor analysis. Study 2 (N=144) aimed to verify the goodness-of-fit of the proposed measurement model using confirmatory factor analysis. Results of the two studies indicated a singlefactor structure that assesses BJW, which corroborates the theoretical frameworks of the BJW scales. Together, the results allow us to conclude that the BJWPS presented satisfactory psychometric indexes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A small but growing body of research suggests that witnessing mistreatment affects third-party observers' attitudes and behaviors. Based on the framework of belief in a just world theory, this study examines perverse secondary victimization which is particularly pervasive in negative workplace gossip from a third-party perspective but has nonetheless received little attention in organizational research. We present a moderated mediation model and hypothesize that third-party observers' deservingness judgment would mediate the effect of observed negative workplace gossip and interact with their just world beliefs (BJW) in predicting their unfavorable reactions toward the target (i.e., withholding target support, engaging in target exclusion, or target negative gossip). Additionally, an observer's BJW would exacerbate the positive relationship between observed negative workplace gossip and deservingness judgment, that is, third-party observers with high BJW are more susceptible to victim derogation bias and consider that the target of gossip deserved the victimization experience to maintain their worldview. Data were collected from 210 full-time employees through online questionnaires and the empirical results supported the hypotheses. The study discusses the theoretical and practical implications of the findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the pillars of legal socialization theory is how non‐legal contexts shape the legitimacy of and compliance with laws. Yet there is little longitudinal evidence establishing the interface mechanism between these spheres. The purpose of this research was to demonstrate how youths' beliefs in a just world (BJW) can help explain the transmission between the justice of non‐legal authorities (parents and schools) and law legitimacy and rule violating behavior (RVB). We utilized two waves of longitudinal data from adolescents at ages 13 and 14 (N = 680) in the São Paulo Legal Socialization Study. Structural equation modeling revealed a good fit to the tested model that parental procedural justice and school justice predict both personal and general BJW, and these predict law legitimacy evaluations 1 year later. General and personal BJW also had an indirect effect on RVB over the following year via law legitimacy. The results suggest that non‐legal authorities may influence law legitimacy not through a direct projection (which was not significant), but through an indirect process of worldview construction. Legal socialization and just world belief research can converge to help explain the interface between non‐legal and legal spheres of authority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores Herman Melville's "The Piazza" through the lens of what social psychologists term the Just-World Hypothesis. Written last and serving as the opening story of The Piazza Tales , "The Piazza" presents readers with an imaginative narrator whose actions toward a young woman he meets in a lonely mountain cabin often seem puzzling; the present essay analyzes his behavior by examining the psychology of Belief in a Just World, a phenomenon that potentially explains why people often reject and blame victims of tragedy and those who suffer. This analysis, in turn, illuminates aspects of similar psychological positions for characters in other stories in The Piazza Tales , most notably the lawyer in "Bartleby, the Scrivener." While Melville's works are often explored through the lenses of philosophy and morality, his ability to capture complex psychology in a realistic manner is powerfully demonstrated in The Piazza Tales , especially in the opening story. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People with disabilities are sometimes described as an invisible minority group, one that frequently encounters ableism in the course of daily life. Ableism entails biased ideas and assumptions, as well as prejudicial attitudes and discriminatory acts, aimed at people with disabilities. This article examines how and why ableism poses distinct social and psychological privileges for outsiders (the nondisabled) and resulting disadvantages for insiders (people with disabilities). Four theories accounting for outsiders' ableism directed at insiders are presented: just world theory, mourning, suffering and meaning, and the fundamental negative bias. The consequences of ableism for people with disabilities are then discussed, including internalized ableism, deindividuation, stigmatization and stereotyping, and the problems posed by benign ableism. I argue that sometimes ableism represents a form of outsider privilege, one allowing nondisabled people to feel, think, and act in ways that often unknowingly promote their social and psychological interests over people with disabilities. I then conclude the article by calling for efforts to better educate nondisabled people regarding guidelines for constructively engaging people with disabilities as a matter of social policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a cross-sectional study with N = 627 individuals (M age = 22.8, SD age = 7.3, 147 males, 480 females, 106 non-religious, 456 religious), we investigated personal belief in a just world (BJW) as a resource for undergraduates' subjective well-being and expected a positive relation between both constructs due to recent studies. We not only aimed at replicating but also extending recent findings by investigating a Russian sample, measuring different dimensions of well-being, and considering self-esteem and resilience as potential mediators in the relation of BJW and well-being. We also controlled for confounding effects of age, gender, religiosity, and general BJW. The findings show that personal BJW related to all investigated indicators of well-being (depressive symptoms, positive and negative affect, and mental well-being). Self-esteem mediated all relations between personal BJW and indicators of subjective well-being whereas resilience mediated relations of personal BJW to positive affect and mental well-being. The pattern of results persisted when we controlled for age, gender, religiosity, and general BJW. Our results confirm that the personal BJW world functions as a psychological resource in undergraduate students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous work has consistently found that belief in a just world is strongly correlated with societal privilege. In the present study, we examined the influence of physical attractiveness on belief in a just world. We hypothesized that physically attractive individuals would be stronger endorsers of belief in a just world, whereas less attractive individuals would be less likely to endorse belief in a just world. Both self-rated attractiveness (experiment one) and attractiveness rated by other persons (experiment two) were found to predict endorsement of belief in a just world. Additionally, both attractiveness measures were found to have a relationship with participant's level of life satisfaction. These findings suggest that physical attractiveness powerfully affects our subjective experience as a human and that just-world beliefs are driven, at least in part, by personal experience with inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Just World Theory states that each person gets what they deserve. Previous scientific literature showed that people who hold just world beliefs tend to blame rape victims to a greater extent than those who do not. The current study investigated the relationship between the Just World Theory and victim blaming in a rape case, while also investigating potential gender differences in relation to victim blaming. The sample (N = 79) included the readers of a national online newspaper, who gave their consent to take part in this study. The results showed gender differences regarding victim blaming: women tended to blame the victim more than men, with small towards medium effect size. The chi-square analysis found a medium towards large effect between gender and the Just World Theory. Hence, such results would suggest that the need of control over the environment can partially explain both the beliefs in a just world and the act of victim blaming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a cross-sectional questionnaire study with N = 2593 German students, aged between 12 and 17 years (M = 14.1, SD = 0.5), we investigated the relation between students’ personal belief in a just world (BJW) and their victimization in bullying situations. According to the just-world theory and research, we expected that the more strongly the students endorsed the personal BJW, the less likely they were to report being victimized by other students. We aimed to extend previous findings that failed to confirm this negative relation by considering students’ personal experience of teacher justice as a possible mediator in this relation, while statistically controlling for sex and school type. We further considered the nested data structure with regard to school classes in our analyses. The results of latent mediation analyses at the individual and group levels showed that the more the students endorsed personal BJW, the more they evaluated their teachers’ behavior toward them personally as being just, and the less likely they were to report that they were bullied. However, the students’ personal experience of teacher justice did not mediate the relation between personal BJW and victimization at the individual or group level when controlled for sex and school type. We discussed the adaptive functions of BJW and implications for future school research and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research conducted in France and Portugal has consistently found that expressing high versus low Belief in a Personal Just World (BJW-P) is more socially valued. Results concerning the Belief in a General Just World (BJW-G) have been mixed. We propose this reflects a higher resistance of BJW-P social value to contextual changes. Testing this idea was the main goal of three experimental studies conducted in France, Germany and Portugal. In Study 1 (N = 283) participants expressed higher BJW-G when asked to convey a positive versus a negative image in a job application at a bank. The opposite pattern showed up when they applied for a job at a Human Rights NGO, an employment assistance institution and a trade union. Participants expressed higher BJW-P in all contexts, except at the trade union (no significant differences). In Study 2 (N = 489) participants judged bogus candidates who expressed high or low BJW-P/G while applying for a job at the same contexts. The patterns of judgments replicated those of self-presentations in Study 1. In Study 3 (N = 158), participants were asked to judge targets who expressed high versus moderate versus low BJW-P at a trade union. The former target was more socially valued than the other two. High versus low BJW-P expression was associated with higher stamina and less unadjusted self-enhancement. We conclude that in Western societies the expression of BJW-P is more central to the legitimation of the status quo and that of BJW-G is more context sensitive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a cross-sectional questionnaire study with N = 1658 German students, aged between 12 and 17 years (M = 14.1, SD = 0.5), we investigated the relation of students’ personal belief in a just world (BJW) to their school absenteeism and functions of school refusal behavior. In accordance with recent studies which identified negative relations between students’ BJW and different forms of rule-breaking behavior (e.g., bullying, cheating), we expected that students with a strong BJW would be less likely to refuse school than those with a weak BJW. Furthermore, we considered students’ personal experience of teacher justice and their feelings of exclusion from school as possible mediators in this relation. We also controlled for confounding effects of gender, age, social desirability, school reluctance, and test anxiety. To test our hypotheses, we used bootstrap mediation analyses. As expected, these analyses showed that the more students endorsed personal BJW, the less likely they were to report that they refused school. The students’ personal experience of teachers justice and especially their feelings of exclusion from school at least partly mediated personal BJW’s relation to school refusal behavior and its functions. The observed relations mainly persisted when we controlled for gender, age, social desirability, school reluctance, and test anxiety. We discussed the adaptive functions of BJW and implications for future school research and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a questionnaire study, Russian versions of the General and Personal belief in a just world (BJW) Scales were validated. Results from exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis showed that the Personal BJW Scale could be empirically differentiated from the General BJW Scale; however, both scales correlated positively. Good internal consistencies of both scales were demonstrated. Age was positively correlated with personal BJW but not with general BJW. Gender differences were found neither in personal nor in general BJW. Personal BJW was found to be stronger than general BJW. Convergent validity was tested by inspecting correlations of BJW scales with the Basic World Assumptions Scale. Divergent validity was examined by inspecting correlations with Markers for the Big Five Factor Structure Scale and Justice Sensitivity Scales. Both personal and general BJW showed positive connections with all subscales of the Basic World Assumptions Scale (self-worth, benevolence of world, justice, luck, and control). We demonstrated divergent validity of personal BJW regarding intellect, agreeableness, conscientiousness, beneficiary and perpetrator sensitivity, and divergent validity of general BJW regarding intellect, beneficiary, perpetrator, and observer sensitivity. Both BJW dimensions were unrelated to beneficiary and perpetrator sensitivity. In addition, general BJW was not related to observer sensitivity. Results give evidence for satisfactory psychometric properties and validation of the Russian versions of BJW scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to analyze the psychometric properties of the Personal and General Belief in a Just World (BJW) Scales. Through a confirmatory factor analysis, the internal structure of both scales was examined by testing if they measure the same global construct or if they constitute two different dimensions. The internal consistency of each scale was evaluated with Cronbach's alpha; also, their linear relations with religious orientations were tested. Using convenience sampling, 328 college students from the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, Argentina, were enrolled in the study. Their ages ranged from 18 to 40 years (M = 24.1, SD = 3.88); 36.6% were men and 63.4% were women. Results suggest appropriate psychometric properties for both BJW scales. In addition, it was observed that both scales refer to independent but related constructs. This finding is reinforeced by analyzing the relation between both types of BJW and religious orientations. Therefore, this study provides valid and reliable tools to evaluate the Personal and General BJW in Argentina. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research was aimed at examining just-world beliefs, system justification, authoritarianism, and cognitive style in a nationally representative sample (N = 1000) in Hungary, and at relating these phenomena to various demographic and political variables to find out whether the findings in Hungary would differ from its Western counterparts. According to system justification theory, there is a psychological motive to defend and justify the status quo. This theory has been tested several times in North American and Western European samples. The core finding of our study was that Hungarian people, unlike people in Western democracies, did not justify the existing establishment. There was strong pessimism with regard to the idea that the system serves the interests of the people. Members of disadvantaged groups (people with low economic income and/or far right political preference) strongly rejected the system. System justification beliefs were moderately related to just world beliefs, and there was a significant relationship between some aspects of need for closure (need for order, discomfort with ambiguity, and closed-mindedness) and authoritarian beliefs. Need for cognition was only related to one aspect of need for closure: closed-mindedness. The voters of right-wing parties did not display higher levels of authoritarianism than the voters of the left social-democrat party. The role of demographic and political variables, limitations, and possible developments of this research are discussed.

The purpose of this study is to understand the development of Brazilian adolescents' justice perceptions across different contexts of educational privilege. Past research has found that, in adolescence, the belief in a just world ( BJW) differentiates between personal and general and declines. However, prior research has not included adolescents from various socioeconomic statuses, samples in Latin America, or focused on the role of the educational context on the developmental trajectory. Participants were 385 adolescents from 3 schools (private, public and military) in Southern Brazil between 9th and 11th grade. Students completed the personal and general BJW survey. Results revealed a significant interaction of school and grade level of adolescents' personal BJW. Contrary to previous research, personal and general BJW was not always lower in higher grades. Among privileged educational contexts, data indicated that personal BJW may even increase, with the decrease notable in the lower resourced school. In contrast, general BJW was relatively consistent across all Brazilian adolescents. Results provide important insight into the role that privilege and education play across adolescents' development of BJW. This research questions the generalizability of previous studies on the development of BJW and indicates that the trajectory may be dependent upon educational and cultural context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

School attacks against children seriously threaten the belief that the world is a just place, in which good people get rewarded and bad people get punished. However, to what extent and in which way belief in a just world (BJW) plays a role in reaction to school attacks have not been investigated, especially in the Chinese context, in which people are traditionally expected to prize harmony over justice. Two studies examined how Chinese people varying in BJW differ in supporting punishment for the perpetrators of school attacks in China in 2010. In Study 1, general BJW among Chinese adults predicted support for perpetrator punishment, and those who paid more attention to the crime news also reported a higher level of punishment support. Study 2 revealed a similar pattern among Chinese adolescents, whose previously measured higher general BJW predicted increasing support for perpetrator punishment, and this effect was mediated via personal distress. In summary, general just-world belief facilitates punishment support among parents and adolescents in the Chinese context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leadership has been identified in contemporary policy as a critical factor in taking forward school improvement and enhancing outcomes for pupils (Pontz, Nusche and Moorman, 2008) in many educational systems including Scottish education. A second policy driver in Scottish education currently is focused on 'closing the gap' (Scottish Government, 2016) between the attainment of pupils from advantaged and disadvantaged backgrounds and this is measured largely in terms of assessment outcomes and post school destinations. However, there is a danger that such drivers become reductive and as a result the focus narrows to attainment statistics, causing social factors which militate against pupil achievement to be overlooked. In a context where school populations are becoming more diverse there is a question then about how headteachers maintain a more critical focus on the attainment and achievement of these diverse groups of learners. This article explores the concept of 'social justice leadership' which has emerged in the literature in recent years to characterise the work of school leaders looking to enhance the learning outcomes for all learners in a school. The article draws from the case studies conducted in Scotland as part of the International School Leadership Development Network (ISLDN) research project on social justice leadership to explore this concept in a Scottish setting. As part of this study a framework was generated to track three levels of educational decision-making was generated encompassing the macro, meso and micro levels. This article uses the ISLDN framework to explore some of the enabling factors for headteachers in their practice as social justice leaders and some of the hindering factors that they grapple with. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study's goal was to conduct a preliminary test of the theory that just world beliefs can buffer against negative physiological outcomes after people experience certain types of negative life events by testing associations between just world beliefs and physiological outcomes among people with different life event histories. In a sample of 247 adults (Mage  = 46.01; 24.31% men; 60.78% White), this research investigated the relationship between just world beliefs and metabolic symptoms, inflammation, and sleep among people who had recently experienced an unfair event, another type of negative event, or no negative event. Stronger just world beliefs correlated with lower metabolic risk, lower inflammation, and better sleep among people who had recently experienced an unfair event, but not among those in the other two event groups. These findings suggest that people's beliefs about the world may interact with their life experiences in ways that have implications for health-relevant outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]