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Can Belief in a Just World Buffer Mood and Career Prospects of People in Need of Risk Protection? First Experimental Evidence

Author

Listed:
  • Gabriel Nudelman
  • Kathleen Otto
  • Claudia Dalbert

Abstract

Research indicates that individuals high in belief in a just world (BJW) are confident that they will not fall victim to unforeseeable disasters. The current study tested the hypothesis that BJW acts as buffer that serves to sustain mood and career prospects of those in need of risk protection. Threat was manipulated by confronting participants with risks regarding their career outlook, and individual differences in threat perception were measured by degree of uncertainty tolerance. As hypothesized, BJW helped protect the mood of participants threatened by serious career‐related risks who were unable to tolerate uncertainty. The finding supported the buffer hypothesis regarding mood, but not career prospects, possibly due to a more conscious mindset or variability in self‐efficacy. However, BJW was overall positively associated with career prospects. Moreover, it was suggested that BJW can also serve as a personal resource, not only protecting from risk, but also enhancing mood among those with high uncertainty tolerance.

Suggested Citation

  • Gabriel Nudelman & Kathleen Otto & Claudia Dalbert, 2016. "Can Belief in a Just World Buffer Mood and Career Prospects of People in Need of Risk Protection? First Experimental Evidence," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 36(12), pages 2247-2257, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:riskan:v:36:y:2016:i:12:p:2247-2257
    DOI: 10.1111/risa.12588
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. William J. Burns & Ellen Peters & Paul Slovic, 2012. "Risk Perception and the Economic Crisis: A Longitudinal Study of the Trajectory of Perceived Risk," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 32(4), pages 659-677, April.
    2. Paul Slovic & Baruch Fischhoff & Sarah Lichtenstein, 1982. "Why Study Risk Perception?," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 2(2), pages 83-93, June.
    3. Dalbert, Claudia & Umlauft, Sren, 2009. "The role of the justice motive in economic decision making," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 30(2), pages 172-180, April.
    4. Meredith Frances Dobbie & Rebekah Ruth Brown, 2014. "A Framework for Understanding Risk Perception, Explored from the Perspective of the Water Practitioner," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 34(2), pages 294-308, February.
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    1. Hui Wang & Yuke Xiong & Xia Liu, 2023. "How are Family Resources and School Resources Related to Low-Income Adolescents’ Psychological Adjustment? The Moderating Role of Belief in a Just World," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 16(2), pages 655-670, April.
    2. Chenxu Wang & Guogang Xin & Libin Zhang & Yunyun Zhang & Lin Lin, 2025. "The Impact of Belief in a Just World on the Association between Developmental Trajectories of Peer Victimization and Depressive Symptoms," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 20(5), pages 1835-1857, October.

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