Abstract
The “belief in a just world” refers to those more or less articulated assumptions which underlie the way people orient themselves to their environment. These assumptions have a functional component which is tied to the image of a manageable and predictable world. These are central to the ability to engage in long-term goal-directed activity. In order to plan, work for, and obtain things they want, and avoid those which are frightening or painful, people must assume that there are manageable procedures which are effective in producing the desired end states (Erikson, 1950; Merton, 1957).
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© 1980 Springer Science+Business Media New York
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Lerner, M.J. (1980). The Belief in a Just World. In: The Belief in a Just World. Perspectives in Social Psychology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-0448-5_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-0448-5_2
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4899-0450-8
Online ISBN: 978-1-4899-0448-5
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