ABSTRACT
People vary greatly in how they respond toward transgressors—from forgiving to seeking revenge. What determines how victims respond to those who have treated them unfairly? In this chapter, the authors argue that victims’ reactions to their transgressors are guided by how victims define the self. In the first part of the chapter, the authors discuss the theoretical rationale underlying the central premise. They then summarize supportive evidence from a number of their studies that demonstrates that people’s reactions toward transgressors differ systematically, depending on the strength of people’s independent and interdependent self-construals. Taken together, these findings are consistent with the idea that reactions to unjust treatment can be motivated by the victim’s desire to restore positive self-regard following threat. In the final section, the authors discuss the theoretical implications of the research and the implications for future work on the study of justice.
