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No. 312 · Your own mind · Sociology

Victim Blame

When harm happens, it is tempting to blame the people who suffered it.

Victim blame is the tendency to fault people who were harmed, rather than those who caused it. It can come from a wish to believe the world is fair, or from a deliberate attempt to dodge responsibility.

To counter it, examine systems before individuals, offer support before questions, and let responsibility follow the evidence. Blaming victims stops us fixing real causes.

In the Almanac

“Hillsborough”, 1989 · “Firestone”, 2000

Both stories in full, three ways to use it and where it misleads.

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Victim Blame

Questions

What is Victim Blame?

Victim blame is the tendency to fault people who were harmed, rather than those who caused it. It can come from a wish to believe the world is fair, or from a deliberate attempt to dodge responsibility.

How do you use Victim Blame?

To counter it, examine systems before individuals, offer support before questions, and let responsibility follow the evidence. Blaming victims stops us fixing real causes.

When does Victim Blame matter?

Victim Blame is one of the 31 mental models for your own mind, the situations where you ask: Is my own thinking leading me astray? Within that, it belongs to “Judging yourself, and your luck”, alongside Birth Lottery, Dunning-Kruger Effect and Fixed Mindset vs Growth Mindset.

What is an example of Victim Blame?

Two stories show it at work: Hillsborough (1989) and Firestone (2000). Both are told in full in The Mental Models Daily Almanac, which has two stories for each of its 365 models.

Which mental models are related to Victim Blame?

Just World Hypothesis, Fundamental Attribution Error and Post Mortem. Victim Blame itself comes from sociology.