An Experimental Study of Victim Derogation

The Case of Victims of Ijime

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to show that the specific form characterizing ijime, a particular type of bullying often observed in classrooms in Japan, facilitates people's common belief that victim of ijime is also to be blamed for inviting it. Specifically, it was hypothesized that a victim of aggression is more likely to be derogated more strongly (1) when the aggression is done by a group than when it is done by a single individual, and (2) when it is done repeatedly than when it is done just once. Results of an experiment confirmed the first hypothesis, but not the second. The paper also reports a finding from another experiment showing that two individual difference variables-confidence in self-efficacy and general distrust of society-are related to the degree of victim derogation.