Blaming the Victim: The Effects of Extraversion and Information Disclosure on Guilt Attributions in Cyberbullying

Abstract

Cyberbullying victims' success in coping with bullying largely depends on schoolmates and other bystanders' social support. However, factors influencing the degree of social support have as yet not been investigated. In this article, the concept of victim blaming is applied to cyberbullying incidents. It is assumed that a cyberbullying victim receives less social support when the victim's behavior is perceived as very overt. It is further assumed that this effect's underlying process is the partial attribution of responsibility for the incident to the victim and not to the bully. The hypotheses are tested with a 2×2 online experiment. In this experiment, varying online self-presentations of a fictitious female cyberbullying victim were presented to 586 Germans aged 16-22. The victim's public Facebook profile was manipulated in terms of the victim's extraversion and the amount of personal information disclosed. The results support the hypotheses. Participants attributed more responsibility for the bullying incident to the victim when the victim was presented as extraverted and very open in revealing personal information. This diminished social support for the victim. The effect was partially mediated by the victim's perceived attractiveness. The study implies that concepts from victimization research can enhance our understanding of cyberbullying incidents. Among other factors, the victim's specific personal characteristics deserve more consideration--not only with regard to the incident itself but also regarding subsequent social dynamics and coping mechanisms.

An Experimental Study on the Attribution of Personality Traits to Bullies and Targets in a Workplace Setting

“…These findings may be seen in light of and have implications for knowledge on the actual personality of targets and bullies (Nielsen et al, 2017). Yet, the results may also be related to and have implications for knowledge on observers’ attribution of traits (see also Weber et al, 2013). …”

“…In addition, people with low scores on Extraversion often receive less social support (Swickert et al, 2002), which also may make them more likely than others to become targets of bullying. However, in an experimental study of cyberbullying it was shown that participants attributed more responsibility for a bullying incident to the victim when the victim was presented as extraverted than when the victim was presented as less extraverted (Weber et al, 2013). No significant differences between conditions were found for Openness.…”

Stigma of addiction and mental illness in healthcare: The case of patients’ experiences in dental settings

“…While it is common for dental professionals to criticize their patients for their poor oral hygiene and consequent dental diseases, Chandu (2011) highlighted that patients may perceive such criticisms as a lack of empathy and understanding [20]. The victim-blaming attitude is more problematic than beneficial; health professionals should take into account a patient’s life situation and environmental factors such as low level of knowledge or inability to access adequate resources without stereotyping them [21,22]. As advised by Bedos and Loignon (2011), a paternalistic approach lacks efficacy and is in direct contradiction to the more humanistic patient-centred care approach [23].…”

“…Therefore, in order to help patients cope with their decreased sense of power, emphasis needs to be placed on communication, empathy and rapport building skills [22,30] as well as actively involving them in a shared decision-making process. In fact, participants’ positive experiences seemed to have occurred because dentists showed respect and compassion through effective communication, which may have led to an acceptable balance in the power relationship [5].…”

A review of cyberbullying and suggestions for online psychological therapy

“…This stress can add to the psychological burden of the experience especially when the issue of victim blaming is concerned (Gini, 2008). Indeed, many researchers have noted that social support (as opposed to victim-blaming) plays a genuine role in how individuals cope with cyberbullying incidents (Weber et al, 2013). As such, anti-bullying policies and awareness campaigns are naturally limited because the influence of social dynamics (e.g., social support and peer relationships etc.)…”