Perceptions of Vulnerability to Victimization

Abstract

Individuals who have not been victimized by negative life events, such as serious illness, accidents, or crime, tend to perceive themselves as “uniquely invulnerable,” as less vulnerable to victimization than others. The actual experience of victimization, however, appears to shatter this illusion of invulnerability, creating in victims a new and unfamiliar sense of vulnerability often accompanied by psychological distress. This article reviews literature documenting nonvictims' perceptions of unique invulnerability and victims' heightened perceptions of vulnerability, and addresses the potentially adaptive versus maladaptive consequences of these perceptions. It is argued that victims who have the most difficulty coping with their misfortune may be precisely those individuals who initially felt least vulnerable prior to being victimized. Therefore, how victims cope may depend in part on their prior beliefs about risk. In addition, a distinction is made between victims who feel “uniquely vulnerable” (more vulnerable than others) and those who feel “universally vulnerable” (equally vulnerable as others) to future misfortune. It is proposed that perceptions of universal vulnerability may be a more adaptive reaction to victimization than are perceptions of unique vulnerability.

FEAR OF CRIME AND CRIMINAL VICTIMIZATION: Testing a Theory of Psychological Incapacitation of the 'Stressor' Based on Downward Comparison Processes

“…The available empirical evidence provides partial support for this model. In relation to SVR, various studies suggest that assessments of increased risk are a common response to victimization (Bard and Sangrey 1979;Denkers and Winkel 1998;Hale 1996;Janoff-Bulman and Frieze 1983;Perloff 1983). However, there is no evidence regarding the temporal stability of this effect.…”

“…Individuals who are generally more fearful tend to respond with fear reactions under the condition of exposure to a threatening state. Winkel and Steinmetz (1990) moreover argue that high post-victimization fear typically emerges in persons exhibiting 'high unique (pre-victimization) vulnerability', that is in subjects, who, in comparison to others, assess their chances of victimization as relatively high (Perloff 1983). Other important psychological individual difference variables are: an external locus of control (Winkel 1987), a lack of pre-victimization hardiness (Denkers and Winkel 1997), and external attributions (Winkel et al 1994).…”

Long-term impact of parental divorce on optimism and trust: Changes in general assumptions or narrow beliefs?

“…Do married children of divorce in fact trust their spouses less and remain less optimistic about their relationships, or do they simply differ in their projected beliefs about marriage? A question we are presently addressing is whether children of divorce view all marriages, or simply their own marriages, more pessimistically (i.e, universal vs. unique vulnerability; Perloff, 1983). Furthermore, it is interesting to consider the impact of positive, serious relationships on beliefs about marriage.…”

Earthquake Insurance: Mandated Disclosure and Homeowner Response in California

“…Past experience predicts familiar and repetitive behaviors (Macey and Brown 1983), and attitude, behavior and the adoption of mitigation measures seem to be related to experience (Weinstein 1989a). Research reviewed by Weinstein (1989a) suggests that (1) personal experience may affect the likelihood of future victimization since accessibility from memory influences probability judgments (Kahneman and Tversky 1979;Perloff 1983); (2) personal experience provides information about the severity of the harm and the existence of preventative measures; (3) experience adds to the concreteness of information (Nisbett and Ross 1980); (4) experience reduces uncertainty about the event (Fazio and Zanna 1978) and increases its salience (Janis 1967;Averill 1987), and (5) experience demonstrates that individuals are not invulnerable (Janoff-Budman 1985;Perloff 1983;Weinstein 1987). Thus, insurance adoption should be affected by experience with the hazard as well as by proximity to hazardous areas.…”