公正世界信念即相信所处的世界是公正的,人们得其所应得,所得即应得。然而在现实生活中这一信念常常受到各种不公正事件的威胁,公正世界信念可以帮助人们应对威胁、重建公正。这种重建可能是行动上的也可能是认知上的,认知公正重建往往导致对不公正现状的合理化以及对受害者的贬损责怪。同时对于各种不公正的受害者或见证者,公正世界信念充当着重要的个人资源或是心理缓冲,帮助个体应对不公正事件,维护心理健康,并遵循公正原则追求其长远目标。公正世界信念的多维结构是解释其双重功能的基础。
According to the just-world theory, individuals have a need to believe that they live in a world where people generally get what they deserve and deserve what they get. Early researches on this idea focused on reactions to various types of victims and the alternative strategies for coping with threats of injustice, including action strategies such as helping and compensation to victims and cognitive strategies such as victim derogation and blame. As the development of the individual-difference measures of the belief in a just world, researchers view BJW as a positive coping mechanism with many psychological benefits. To various kinds of victims and witnesses, BJW functions as a personal resource or psychological buffer helping them to cope with the threats of their daily life, maintaining mental health, endowing trust in the fairness of the world, and investing to the long-term goals. The bidimensional structures of just-world belief are important to interpret its dual functions. Theoretical challenges are discussed.