Blame on You! Understanding Victim Blaming in Cases of Interpersonal Violence

Title:

Blame on You!
Understanding Victim Blaming in Cases of Interpersonal Violence

Info:

Kristine A. Peace, Ph.D.

MacEwan University

Date:

Friday, November 29, 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM MST

Where:

Room P-226

Abstract:

In public and legal domains, an increase in campaigns surrounding awareness of sexual, intimate partner, and stalking violence have identified numerous ways that victim blaming can impact case outcomes, from the decision to report to court rulings (and everything in between). While blame attributions have been firmly rooted in society for many years, the deplorable trend suggesting that victims are ‘asking for it’ or responsible for their own abuse continues. For example, statements such as “she was drunk, what did she expect would happen?”, “he should have been man enough to stand up to her”, and “why couldn’t you just keep your knees together?” send a clear message that the victim is responsible for actions perpetrated against them.

This presentation will review a series of studies conducted within the Processes in Emotion, Recollection, and Violence Perception Lab (PERPLab) in relation to factors that influence victim blaming across different forms of interpersonal violence. While we have studied a variety of factors contributing to victim blame (e.g., racial identity, alcohol consumption, abuse type), this talk will focus on our current and ongoing explorations of how gender identity, sexual orientation, emotionality, fame/status, and beliefs can influence blame attributions.

Finally, this presentation will incorporate suggestions for future research (including directions within our lab and those warranted more broadly). Research that encompasses perceptions of interpersonal violence and how blame attributions are formed is important for informing awareness campaigns and combating myths surrounding these forms of violence.