The Appropriation Process of the Belief in a Just World

Research on the belief in a just world (BJW) has been developing since the mid 60s. However, studies have been mainly developed from an individual differences perspective. As a consequence there are no studies that analyze the cognitive processes implied in the appropriation of the BJW during the so...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor: Barreiro, Alicia Viviana
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2013
País:Argentina
Institución:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
Repositorio:CONICET Digital (CONICET)
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/3660
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/11336/3660
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Belief in A Just World
Appropriation
Cognitive Development
Cognitive Polyphasia
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/5.4
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/5
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/5.1
Descripción
Sumario:Research on the belief in a just world (BJW) has been developing since the mid 60s. However, studies have been mainly developed from an individual differences perspective. As a consequence there are no studies that analyze the cognitive processes implied in the appropriation of the BJW during the socialization processes that occur in inf ancy and onwards. The main purpose of this paper is theref ore to analyze this psy chological process from childhood to adolescence. The study was carried out with a convenience sample of children and adolescents (N = 216) from Buenos Aires, between 6 and 17 y ears old, who participated in an interview guided by the piagetian clinical method. Results indicate that during the appropriation process of the BJW participants reconstruct this belief to make it coherent with hy pothetical deductiv e thinking. This is expressed in three different justifications that the individuals give to justif y their BJW: immanent justice, social reciprocity and personal merit. Yet, the appropriation process is incomplete. In the majority of the adolescents a magical thinking remains, constituting a state of cognitive polyphasia expressed in oscillating answers. In conclusion, the BJW is not a previous social condition transmitted from one generation to another. Its appropriation goes beyond the mere reproduction of social beliefs and involves a conceptual reconstruction.