Vulnerability: Towards a Better Understanding of a Key Variable in the Genesis of Fear of Crime

Killias, Martin

doi:10.1891/0886-6708.5.2.97

Cited by 231 publications

(201 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“….erraro 1995), (b) vulnerability (e.g. Killias 1990;Killias and Clerici 2000;Warr 1984) and (c) experience of crime (Hale 1996:103ff;Winkel 1998). …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Psychology of Fear of Crime. Conceptual and Methodological Perspectives

Gabriel

Greve²

2003

British Journal of Criminology

184

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Since the very beginnings of research on the fear of crime in the early 1970s, authors have emphasized the need for theoretical clarification of the meaning and measurement of the concept. The present article outlines a theory of fear of crime from the psychological perspective. In particular, psychological concepts of emotions, most notably the state/trait distinction and the notion of emotions as involving multiple components, are applied to fear of crime. The outcome of this conceptual clarification is a two-dimensional taxonomy which can be used to differentiate between instruments applied to assess fear of crime. .inally, taking into account the results of psychological research on survey methodology, the practical value of this taxonomy for the assessment of fear of crime is discussed.Over the past three decades, fear of crime has been a recurrent theme in public policy and academic debate. The discussion has frequently been prompted by empirical research on fear of crime; the body of literature has grown substantially in recent years (see Hale 1996, for a review), and only lately has a collection of classic articles on fear of crime been published (Ditton and .arrall 2000). Although the results of so-called crime surveys suggest that fear of crime is a prevalent social problem, the need for a theoretical clarification of the meaning and measurement of fear of crime has been emphasized repeatedly (e.g. .arrall et al. 1997;Taylor and Hale 1986;Thompson et al. 1992). The perspective taken here is based on the hypothesis that previous interpretations of empirical results lack the theoretical background necessary for sensitive conclusions to be drawn. In other words, we argue that empirical data on fear of crime are often seen through the wrong spectacles .While the investigation of fear of crime has a long tradition in criminology, the investigation of fear has an even longer tradition in psychology. The purpose of this paper is to render the findings of psychological research usable for work on fear of crime. Accordingly, psychological concepts of emotions, notably the state/trait distinction and the notion of emotions as involving multiple components, will be applied to fear of crime, thus providing the outlines of a psychological conception of fear of crime.Our discussion proceeds in two major steps. In the first step, we investigate the conceptual structure of fear of crime. We start by focusing on the conceptual and empirical links between the fear of crime as a state on the one hand, and as a disposition on the other. Recent psychological approaches consider emotions to be affective states characterized by responses that include physiological, behavioural-expressive and subjective facets. The state of fear of crime will thus be assumed to be multidimensional, 600

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“….erraro 1995), (b) vulnerability (e.g. Killias 1990;Killias and Clerici 2000;Warr 1984) and (c) experience of crime (Hale 1996:103ff;Winkel 1998). …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Psychology of Fear of Crime. Conceptual and Methodological Perspectives

Gabriel

Greve²

2003

British Journal of Criminology

184

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“…Support for the Three Strikes and You're Out initiative was most strongly linked to judgements about social conditions and to underlying social values. Concerns about crime and the Killias, 1990, Warr, 1987. For further thoughts on the psychology of risk please see Jackson (2006b) and Jackson et al (2006).…”

Section: Public Perception Of Crime: a Neo-durkheimian Perspectivementioning

confidence: 99%

Public Confidence in Policing

Jackson¹,

Sunshine²

2006

The British Journal of Criminology

289

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“…Cognitive theory highlights the importance of thoughts, interpretations, appraisals or judgments in generating the emotional experience. Such a cognitive focus is also dearly visible in the various explanatory theories of fear of crime (Hale 1996;Killias 1990;Warr 1987). The major part of Hale's review of the fear of crime literature is devoted to an examination of different theoretical explanations of fear of crime.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…(1) (priming principle) primes the idea of a non-negligible risk, and the person's view of relatively serious negative consequences emanating from a victimization (Killias 1990), or (2) (change principle 2 ) negatively enhances SVR, and/or NI, to a 'non-negligible' level (Hale 1996). Fear responses will thus only result if both principles are met simultaneously, or if either one of these principles is met.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Winkel

1998

British Journal of Criminology

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The empirical evidence supporting a fear-criminal victimization relationship is relatively weak and mixed. A fear-victimization model is developed which Fear and Victimization: Theoretical AspectsIn psychological analyses of emotions the cognitive paradigm is broadly adhered to (Frijda 1988). It assumes that emotions are produced by the person's interpretation of a psychologically significant situation (Berkowitz 1993). Cognitive theory highlights the importance of thoughts, interpretations, appraisals or judgments in generating the emotional experience. Such a cognitive focus is also dearly visible in the various explanatory theories of fear of crime (Hale 1996;Killias 1990;Warr 1987). The major part of Hale's review of the fear of crime literature is devoted to an examination of different theoretical explanations of fear of crime. He argues that 'any model trying to explain fear will include some notion of vulnerability ' (Hale 1996: 95). Models of emotional vulnerability traditionally distinguish, at least, two dimensions of vulnerability, namely perceptions of personal risk (and/or risk to significant others), and perceptions of the seriousness of the consequences emanating from that risk. Both dimensions also emerge in Winkel's (1981) two-factor model of fear of crime, in which fear as an emotional response and fear-related cognitions represent two sides of the

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Vulnerability: Towards a Better Understanding of a Key Variable in the Genesis of Fear of Crime

Cited by 231 publications

References 13 publications

The Psychology of Fear of Crime. Conceptual and Methodological Perspectives

The Psychology of Fear of Crime. Conceptual and Methodological Perspectives

Public Confidence in Policing

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

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