Victim-Blaming Tendencies in Public Perception

Abstract

Victim-blaming refers to attitudes that attribute responsibility for harm to victims rather than perpetrators. These attitudes arise from cognitive biases, cultural beliefs, and media narratives that shape public perception. While often discussed in the context of sexual assault and interpersonal crime, victim-blaming is also present in responses to bullying, cybercrime, systemic discrimination, natural disasters, and health crises. This paper synthesizes literature from psychology, sociology, media studies, and criminology to examine why victim-blaming occurs, how it is socially reinforced, and which interventions can reduce its prevalence. A new model, the Victim Attribution Bias Framework (VABF), is proposed to explain how ideology, emotion, and cognition interact to shape judgments. Policy implications include trauma-informed media guidelines, public-awareness programs, and psychological interventions that challenge harmful attribution patterns.