Question

When Martha walked down a dark alley one night in a part of town that she knew was dangerous, she was mugged, but fortunately not otherwise harmed. When she told a friend of hers what happened, his first thought was that "she should have known not to walk there at night." Martha's friend is in a sense putting the responsibility for her misfortune on her, despite the fact that she was a victim of a mugging. Her friend was using the psychological process known as :____________.

Answer 1

Answer: Blaming the victim

Explanation: In terms of psychology, blaming the victim is the act in which victim is accounted for their hardship and suffering. The offender of the crime is not considered faulty for the act rather victim is held responsible due to victim's behavior and actions , persisting prejudice against the sufferer .

As per the case in the question , Martha's friend is blaming Martha for getting mugged and thus, blaming the victim. Her friend is making Martha the faulty person in the case by considering she should have known about risk in walking down that road at night and she stating that she had misfortune.