TY - JOUR
T1 - Excuses gemaakt, zand erover?
T2 - Over de perceptie van emotionele slachtoffers en de verwachte effecten van aangeboden excuses
AU - Bosma, Alice
PY - 2019
Y1 - 2019
N2 - Whereas the starting point of victimisation is clearly marked by a co-occurence of harm and wrong, the end of victimhood is not as straightforward. What is more, because victimisation is a social construct, the label of “victim” is established in social interaction, meaning that third party observers have a role in the understanding of the (limits of) victimisation. In this article, I suggest that third party observers may understand attempts at restorative justice, more specifically, an apology, as an indicator of recovery of the victim. If this is true, they may expect the victim to decrease emotional display that signals victimisation after receiving an apology. If the victim continues to display similar signals of victimisation, this may result in negative victim-oriented responses. In an exploratory repeated measures vignette study, I show that third party observers evaluate the victim less positively after the victim received an apology than before they received this apology. The results imply that in understanding the (limits of) victimhood, we should consider the dynamics between victim and offender but also a broader circle of third-party observers. This is also important for restorative justice.
AB - Whereas the starting point of victimisation is clearly marked by a co-occurence of harm and wrong, the end of victimhood is not as straightforward. What is more, because victimisation is a social construct, the label of “victim” is established in social interaction, meaning that third party observers have a role in the understanding of the (limits of) victimisation. In this article, I suggest that third party observers may understand attempts at restorative justice, more specifically, an apology, as an indicator of recovery of the victim. If this is true, they may expect the victim to decrease emotional display that signals victimisation after receiving an apology. If the victim continues to display similar signals of victimisation, this may result in negative victim-oriented responses. In an exploratory repeated measures vignette study, I show that third party observers evaluate the victim less positively after the victim received an apology than before they received this apology. The results imply that in understanding the (limits of) victimhood, we should consider the dynamics between victim and offender but also a broader circle of third-party observers. This is also important for restorative justice.
KW - victimisation
KW - apology
KW - emotional display
KW - restorative justice
KW - third-party observer
U2 - 10.5553/TvH/1568654X2019019004003
DO - 10.5553/TvH/1568654X2019019004003
M3 - Article
SN - 1568-654x
VL - 19
SP - 11
EP - 21
JO - Tijdschrift voor Herstelrecht
JF - Tijdschrift voor Herstelrecht
IS - 4
ER -