Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

How Belief in a Just World Benefits Mental Health: The Effects of Optimism and Gratitude

  • Published:
Social Indicators Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Past research suggests that individuals’ belief in a just world (BJW) is closely connected with their mental health. To clarify the underlying mechanism, the current study proposes that BJW encourages optimism and gratitude which then mediates the relationship between BJW and mental health as indicated by subjective well-being (SWB) and depression. A sample of 1,200 undergraduates yields results indicating that (a) BJW influences optimism, gratitude, SWB, and depression after controlling for gender, age, income, and personality; (b) optimism and gratitude mediate BJW effects by increasing SWB and decreasing depression. The issues of BJW’s adaptive functions are discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. The questionnaire used in this study is part of a large scale survey that uses short measurements to keep participants from becoming impatient. Thus the personality scale is very brief.

References

  • Bègue, L. (2002). Beliefs in justice and faith in people: Just world, religiosity and interpersonal trust. Personality and Individual Differences, 32(3), 375–382.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blunch, N. J. (2013). Introduction to structural equation modeling using IBM SPSS statistics and AMOS. London: SAGE.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brodhagen, A., & Wise, D. (2008). Optimism as a mediator between the experience of child abuse, other traumatic events, and distress. Journal of Family Violence, 23(6), 403–411.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Buchanan, G. M., & Seligman, M. (Eds.). (2013). Explanatory style. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chang, E. C., Sanna, L. J., & Yang, K. M. (2003). Optimism, pessimism, affectivity, and psychological adjustment in US and Korea: A test of a mediation model. Personality and Individual Differences, 34(7), 1195–1208.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cialdini, R. B., Kenrick, D. T., & Hoerig, J. H. (1976). Victim derogation in the Lerner paradigm: Just world or just justification? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 33(6), 719.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Correia, I., & Vala, J. (2004). Belief in a just world, subjective well-being and trust of young adults. In C. Dalbert & H. Sallay (Eds.), The justice motive in adolescence and young adulthood: Origins and consequences. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dalbert, C. (1998). Belief in a just world, well-being and coping with an unjust fate. In L. Montada & M. Lerner (Eds.), Responses to victimizations and belief in the just world (pp. 87–105). New York: Plenum.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Dalbert, C. (1999). The world is more just for me than generally: About the personal belief in a just world scale’s validity. Social Justice Research, 12, 79–98.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dalbert, C. (2001). The justice motive as a personal resource: Dealing with challenges and critical life events. New York: Plenum.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Dalbert, C. (2002). Beliefs in a just world as a buffer against anger. Social Justice Research, 15, 123–145.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dette, D., Stöber, J., & Dalbert, C. (2004). 14 belief in a just world and adolescents’ vocational and social goals (p. 231). The justice motive in adolescence and young adulthood: Origins and consequences.

    Google Scholar 

  • Diener, E., Emmons, R. A., Larsen, R. J., & Griffin, S. (1985). The satisfaction with life scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 49(1), 71–75.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Diener, E., Oishi, S., & Lucas, R. E. (2003). Personality, culture, and subjective well-being: Emotional and cognitive evaluations of life. Annual Review of Psychology, 54(1), 403–425.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Diener, E., Suh, E. M., Smith, H., & Shao, L. (1995). National differences in reported subjective well-being: Why do they occur? Social Indicators Research, 34(1), 7–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dzuka, J., & Dalbert, C. (2002). Mental health and personality of Slovak unemployed adolescents: The impact of belief in a just world. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 32(4), 732–757.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dzuka, J., & Dalbert, C. (2007). Student violence against teachers: Teachers’ well-being and the belief in a just world. European Psychologist, 12(4), 253.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eid, M., & Diener, E. (2004). Global judgments of subjective well-being: Situational variability and long-term stability. Social Indicators Research, 65(3), 245–277.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ekas, N. V., Lickenbrock, D. M., & Whitman, T. L. (2010). Optimism, social support, and well-being in mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 40(10), 1274–1284.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Emmons, R. A., & McCullough, M. E. (2003). Counting blessings versus burdens: An experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective well-being in daily life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(2), 377.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Evans, G. W., & Cohen, S. (1987). Environmental stress. In D. Stokols & I. Altman (Eds.), Handbook of environmental psychology (Vol. 1, pp. 571–610). New York: John Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Froh, J. J., Sefick, W. J., & Emmons, R. A. (2008). Counting blessings in early adolescents: An experimental study of gratitude and subjective well-being. Journal of School Psychology, 46(2), 213–233.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Furnham, A. (2003). Belief in a just world: Research progress over the past decade. Personality and Individual Differences, 34(5), 795–817.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Godfrey, B. W., & Lowe, C. A. (1975). Devaluation of innocent victims: An attribution analysis within the just world paradigm. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 31(5), 944.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gosling, S. D., Rentfrow, P. J., & Swann, W. B. (2003). A very brief measure of the big-five personality domains. Journal of Research in Personality, 37, 504–528.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hafer, C. L., & Olson, J. M. (1989). Beliefs in a just world and reactions to personal deprivation. Journal of Personality, 57(4), 799–823.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jensen, E., Dehlin, O., Hagberg, B., Samuelsson, G., & Svensson, T. (1998). Insomnia in an 80-year-old population: Relationship to medical, psychological and social factors. Journal of Sleep Research, 7(3), 183–189.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Karademas, E. C. (2006). Self-efficacy, social support and well-being: The mediating role of optimism. Personality and Individual Differences, 40(6), 1281–1290.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kristiansen, C., & Giuletti, R. (1990). Perceptions of wife abuse: Effects of gender, attitudes toward women, and just world beliefs among college students. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 14, 177–189.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lai, J. C., Evans, P. D., Ng, S. H., Chong, A. M., Siu, O. T., Chan, C. L., & Chan, C. C. (2005). Optimism, positive affectivity, and salivary cortisol. British journal of health psychology, 10(4), 467–484.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lai, J. C., & Yue, X. (2000). Measuring optimism in Hong Kong and mainland Chinese with the revised life orientation test. Personality and Individual Differences, 28(4), 781–796.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lerner, M. (1965). Evaluation of performance as a function of performer’s reward and attractiveness. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1, 355–360.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lerner, M. (1980). The belief in a just world: A fundamental delusion. New York: Plenum.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Lerner, M. (1997). What does the belief in a just world protect us from? The dread of death or the fear of understanding suffering? Psychological Inquiry, 8, 29–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lerner, M., & Miller, D. (1978). Just world research and the attribution process: Looking back and ahead. Psychological Bulletin, 85, 1030–1051.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lipkus, I. (1991). The construction and preliminary validation of a global belief in a just world scale and the exploratory analysis of the multidimensional belief in a just world scale. Personality and Individual Differences, 12(11), 1171–1178.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lipkus, I. M., Dalbert, C., & Siegler, I. C. (1996). The importance of distinguishing the belief in a just world for self versus for others: Implications for psychological well-being. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 22(7), 666–677.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Littrell, J., & Beck, E. (1999). Perceiving oppression: Relationships with resilience, self-esteem, depressive symptoms, and reliance on God in African-American homeless men. Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare, 26, 137.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maes, J. (1998). Immanent justice and ultimate justice: Two ways of believing in justice. In L. Montada & M. Lerner (Eds.), Responses to victimizations and belief in the just world (pp. 43–53). New York: Plenum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mäkikangas, A., & Kinnunen, U. (2003). Psychosocial work stressors and well-being: Self-esteem and optimism as moderators in a one-year longitudinal sample. Personality and Individual Differences, 35(3), 537–557.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Matlin, M. W., & Stang, D. J. (1978). The Pollyanna principle: Selectivity in language, memory, and thought. Cambridge, MA: Schenkman.

    Google Scholar 

  • McCullough, M. E., Emmons, R. A., & Tsang, J. A. (2002). The grateful disposition: A conceptual and empirical topography. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 82(1), 112.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McKenna, F. P. (1993). It won’t happen to me: Unrealistic optimism or illusion of control? British Journal of Psychology, 84(1), 39–50.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Montada, L. (1998). Belief in a just world: A hybrid of justice motive and self-interest. In L. Montada & M. Lerner (Eds.), Responses to victimizations and belief in the just world (pp. 217–245). New York: Plenum.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Montada, L., Schmitt, M., & Dalbert, C. (1986). Thinking about justice and dealing with one’s own privileges (pp. 125–143). US: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Otto, K., Boos, A., Dalbert, C., Schöps, D., & Hoyer, J. (2006). Posttraumatic symptoms, depression, and anxiety of flood victims: The impact of the belief in a just world. Personality and Individual Differences, 40(5), 1075–1084.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Otto, K., & Dalbert, C. (2005). Belief in a just world and its functions for young prisoners. Journal of Research in Personality, 39(6), 559–573.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Otto, K., & Schmidt, S. (2007). Dealing with stress in the workplace: Compensatory effects of belief in a just world. European Psychologist, 12(4), 272.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, C. (2000). The future of optimism. American Psychologist, 55(1), 44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., Lee, J. Y., & Podsakoff, N. P. (2003). Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88, 879–903.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rubin, Z., & Peplau, A. (1973). Belief in a just world and reactions to another’s lot. Journal of Social Issues, 29, 73–93.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rubin, Z., & Peplau, L. (1975). Who believes in a just world? Journal of Social Issues, 31, 65–89.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scheier, M. F., & Carver, C. S. (1985). Optimism, coping, and health: Assessment and implications of generalized outcome expectancies. Health Psychology, 4(3), 219.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scheier, M. F., & Carver, C. S. (1992). Effects of optimism on psychological and physical well-being: Theoretical overview and empirical update. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 16(2), 201–228.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Strelan, P. (2007). The prosocial, adaptive qualities of just world beliefs: Implications for the relationship between justice and forgiveness. Personality and Individual Differences, 43(4), 881–890.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, S. E., & Brown, J. D. (1988). Illusion and well-being: A social psychological perspective on mental health. Psychological Bulletin, 103(2), 193.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, S. E., & Brown, J. D. (1994). Positive illusions and well-being revisited: Separating fact from fiction. Psychological Bulletin, 116, 21–27.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tomaka, J., & Blascovich, J. (1994). Effects of justice beliefs on cognitive appraisal of and subjective physiological, and behavioral responses to potential stress. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 67(4), 732.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, X., Wang, X., & Ma, H. (1999). Handbook of mental health diagnoses (in Chinese). Beijing: Press of Chinese Mental Health.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wolfradt, U., & Dalbert, C. (2003). Personality, values and belief in a just world. Personality and Individual Differences, 35(8), 1911–1918.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wong, W. S., & Fielding, R. (2007). Quality of life and pain in Chinese lung cancer patients: Is optimism a moderator or mediator? Quality of Life Research, 16(1), 53–63.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wood, A. M., Froh, J. J., & Geraghty, A. W. (2010). Gratitude and well-being: A review and theoretical integration. Clinical Psychology Review, 30(7), 890–905.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wood, A. M., Joseph, S., & Linley, P. A. (2007). Coping style as a psychological resource of grateful people. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 26(9), 1076–1093.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wood, A. M., Joseph, S., & Maltby, J. (2009). Gratitude predicts psychological well-being above the big five facets. Personality and Individual Differences, 46(4), 443–447.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wood, A. M., Maltby, J., Stewart, N., Linley, P. A., & Joseph, S. (2008). A social-cognitive model of trait and state levels of gratitude. Emotion, 8(2), 281.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xie, X., Liu, H., & Gan, Y. (2011). Belief in a just world when encountering the 5/12 Wenchuan earthquake. Environment and Behavior, 43(4), 566–586.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xu, W. D., Wu, M. Z., & Qiu, F. D. (2005). A research on the relationship between self-esteem and subjective well-being (in Chinese). Psychological Science, 28, 562–565.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zimbardo, P. G., & Boyd, J. N. (1999). Putting time in perspective: A valid, reliable individual-difference metric. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77, 1271–1288.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zung, W. W., Richards, C. B., & Short, M. J. (1965). Self-rating depression scale in an outpatient clinic: Further validation of the SDS. Archives of General Psychiatry, 13(6), 508.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The work was supported by Grant 71401190 from National Natural Science Foundation of China, Grant 71401036 from National Natural Science Foundation of China, program for Innovation Research in Central University of Finance and Economics, and the ‘Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities’ in UIBE (13QNGLX02). The authors would like to thank anonymous reviewers for their comments on an earlier draft of this paper.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Central University of Finance and Economics, Beijing, China

    Feng Jiang, Guangtao Yu & Fei Zhu

  2. City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

    Xiaodong Yue

  3. University of International Business and Economics, Beijing, China

    Su Lu

Authors
  1. Feng Jiang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Xiaodong Yue
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Su Lu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Guangtao Yu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Fei Zhu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Su Lu.

Appendix 1: Scale of Family Income/Month

Appendix 1: Scale of Family Income/Month

1 = 2,000RMB (about 333USD or below),

2 = 2,001–5,000RMB (about 333–833USD),

3 = 5,001–8,000RMB (about 833–1,333USD),

4 = 8,001–10,000RMB (about 1,333–1,666USD),

5 = 10,001–15,000RMB (about 1,666–2,500USD),

6 = 15,001–20,000RMB (about 2,500–3,333USD),

7 = 20,001–30,000RMB (about 3,333–5,000USD),

8 = 30,001–40,000RMB (about 5,000–6,666USD),

9 = 40,001–50,000 (about 6,666–8,333USD),

10 = 50,000RMB (about 8,333USD or above).

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Jiang, F., Yue, X., Lu, S. et al. How Belief in a Just World Benefits Mental Health: The Effects of Optimism and Gratitude. Soc Indic Res 126, 411–423 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-015-0877-x

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-015-0877-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation