The just-world phenomenon is a cognitive bias where people believe that life is fair – that individuals generally get what they deserve, whether it be good or bad.
Think about when you watch a movie and expect the good guys to win and the bad guys to lose because that would be 'fair'. That expectation reflects the just-world phenomenon - we want to believe that justice will always prevail.
Fundamental Attribution Error: The tendency for observers, when analyzing another’s behavior, to underestimate situational influences and overestimate personal disposition.
Victim Blaming: Accusing victims for causing their own misfortune due to their actions or failures rather than acknowledging external factors at play.
Karma (in psychology): A concept from Eastern religions applied in psychology as an explanation for why good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people.
Study guides for the entire semester
200k practice questions
Glossary of 50k key terms - memorize important vocab
© 2024 Fiveable Inc. All rights reserved.
AP® and SAT® are trademarks registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse this website.