Aggression and Belief in a Just World Among Adolescents from Belarus and Ukraine: A Comparative Analysis

Abstract

In connection with the spread of a culture of violence in modern society the problem of aggressive behavior of adolescents takes on new impetus. For a comprehensive consideration of this problem, one should take into account not only the intrapersonal and interpersonal aspects of the personality relations system, but also its relations with the world, which can be expressed in the two forms of the belief in a just world — general belief in a just world and personal belief in a just world. 70 Belarusian and 109 Ukrainian adolescents completed two questionnaires: the Buss–Perry Aggression Questionnaire and the Just World Scale by C. Dalbert. It was found that Belarusian adolescents are characterized by lower aggression compared to Ukrainian ones. The relationship between aggression and the two forms of belief in a just world (general and personal belief in a just world) is negative among Belarusians and Ukrainian adolescents. Belarusian and Ukrainian adolescents on average believe that the world is “rather fair”. This indicates a similar view of the world among adolescents in both cultures.

Explanations for the sources of wealth: It is not a just world.

“…We expected that the more people believed in a just world the more they believed people became rich through their own efforts and abilities. A recent study showed that a strong BJW was associated with reduced aggression among juveniles (Larionov et al, 2021) with ramifications for how perceptions of skewed economic distributions may translate into social dissatisfaction. Thus, Hypothesis 1: Beliefs in a just world (BJW) is positively related to beliefs in agentic paths to wealth and negatively related to inheritance.…”