Did Melvin Lerner Discover the Just World Hypothesis in a Lab Experiment?

💡 The Answer

• Melvin Lerner first proposed the just-world hypothesis in the 1960s.
• His experiments showed that observers blamed victims to preserve a sense of justice.
• The original study involved participants watching a confederate receive electric shocks.
• Lerner found that people rationalized suffering as deserved to maintain belief in fairness.