Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

There have been in recent years much debate and controversy over when private citizens are justified in taking the law into their own hands. This research proposes that whether vigilante behavior is seen as justified or not depends not only upon the objective events but upon the social characteristics of the participants, the environmental context, and the results of actions. Using hypotheses derived from attribution, equity, and symbolic interaction theories, it was found that identification with either actor and symbolic meanings in the environment influence vigilante behavior and justification of such behavior. Support was not found for equity theory hypotheses that resultant injuries influence justifications.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Boris, S. B. (1979). Stereotypes and dispositions for criminal homicide. Criminology, 17(2), 139-158.

Braungart, M. M. , Braungart, R. G. , & Hoyer, W. J. (1980). Age, sex and social factors in fear of crime. Social Focus, 13, 55-66.

Chaiken, I. , & Darley, J. (1973). Victim or perpetrator? Defensive attribution of responsibility and the need for order and justice. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 25, 268-275.

Crittenden, K. (1983). Sociological aspects of attribution. In R. Turner & J. Short (Eds.), Annual Review of Sociology (pp. 425-445). Palo Alto, CA: Annual Reviews, Inc.

DuBow, F. E. , McCabe, E. , & Kaplan, G. (1979). Reactions to crime: A critical review of the literature. Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, National Criminal Justice Information and Statistics Service. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office.

Furman v. Georgia, 408 U.S. 238 (1972).

Greenberg, J. , & Cohen, R. (1982). Equity and justice in social behavior. New York: Academic Press.

Greenberg, M. , & Ruback, R. B. (1982). Social psychology of the criminal justice system. Monterey, CA: Brooks/Cole.

Jones, E. , & Nisbett, R. (1972). The actor and the observer: Divergent perceptions of the causes of behavior. In E. Jones , D. Kanouse , H. Kelly , R. Nisbett , S. Valine , & B. Winer (Eds.). Morristown, NJ: General Learning Press.

10.

Kelley, H. H. (1967). Attribution theory in social psychology. Nebraska Symposium on Motivation, 15, 192-238.

11.

Lerner, M. (1980). The belief in a just world. New York: Plenum Press.

12.

Magnuson, E. (1985, April 8). Up in arms over crime. Time Magazine, pp. 28-34.

13.

Miller v. California, 413 U.S. 153 (1973).

14.

Ross, L. (1977). The intuitive psychologist and his shortcomings: Distortion in the attribution process. Advances in Experiential Social Psychology, 10, 174-220.

15.

Shaw, M. & Costanzo, P. (1982). Theories of social psychology. New York: McGraw-Hill.

16.

Trop v. Dulles, 356 U.S. 78 (1958).

Vigilante Behavior and Attribution Bias

Abstract

Get full access to this article

References