NCJ Number
230467
Journal
Social Justice Research Volume: 23 Issue: 1 Dated: March 2010 Pages: 17-36
Date Published
March 2010
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This study compared the effects of victimization on the belief in a just world among young adults living in four countries in the former Yugoslavia: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Republic of Macedonia, and Slovenia.
Abstract
Levels of support for just world beliefs among young adults (N = 598) from four ex-Yugoslavian countries-Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and Slovenia-were compared, taking into account victimization experiences and the general belief in a just world. Being a victim affected an individual's belief in a just world in the two less economically favored contexts: Victims of exclusion in Macedonia and victims of war in Bosnia and Herzegovina were less likely to believe in a just world than non-victims. These victimization variables partly explained why the mean scores of these two countries were less than those of the two others. A deleterious effect of cumulative negative events on belief in a just world was identified, in parallel with a lower endorsement of the belief when the first victimization occurred more recently. Tables and references (Published Abstract)