ie-at work,a man has done something,and everyone seems to be ganging up on the woman who was victimised.Why are people like this?Could it be cos they are glad it isn't them?Why?
2007-04-26 21:19:56 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous in Social Science ➔ Psychology
It is because for example....you really like and get on well with someone, you trust them etc, then when they are found out you deny it. How could YOU not of seen what they were really like. Most people can't accept it. This happens alot in families eg....A mum just won't accept her own brother could do that to her child. It's weird really. I think the best way to be is to realise that even the nicest people you know and love may be just nice on the surface and to accept that you can never REALLY know anyone. Take care.xxx
2007-04-26 21:28:46 · answer #1 · answered by lizfiz 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Maybe because that when a person is outed so to speak as a sex offender they seem normal and fit in with society and that is what makes it so difficult for close people or relatives to believe.
The problem is that the law can sometimes be vague and someone who has maybe had sex in public and caught are they a sex offender.
The fact that the woman is being victimised at work is a hard one they may accept the guys story rather than hers, people in general make all sorts of assumptions and act without any evidence.
A news story springs to mine of a Pediatrician who had his house vandalised and all sorts of things daubed on his house because the paper had put paediatrician down and some lunatic thought that meant peodophile so u see what can happen the good old lynch mob it's not good.
2007-04-29 06:29:54 · answer #2 · answered by Edgein 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
~Psychologically It might be described as a kind of cognitive distortion (look up cognitive dissonance, festinger). If you have an existing cognitive schema (mental construct combining and organising information including knowledge or experience) and then another piece of information is introduced to that schema but is in some way contradictory then the mind experiences dissonance and has to rearrange everything to make things fit together nicely. This may mean modifying either the existing schemata or the new piece of information. In this case it tends to be discounting the allegation against the former colleague altogether, warping it to re-direct blame to the victim, or to go the other way and say things like "you know there was always something I didn't like about him, do you remember the time he did...
There are lots of other types of potential explanation; sociological, psycho-dynamic, feminist, psycho-social, but this one's quite neat.
2007-04-29 12:34:20 · answer #3 · answered by angrymammal 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think it is because most of us think we are good judges of people. We think we would know if something was wrong with a neighbor, co-worker, etc. So when someone is reported we often find it hard to believe.
2007-04-26 21:27:20 · answer #4 · answered by Patti C 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sex-offenders are masters of disguise. They are often highly intelligent and therefore expert at masquerading as normal, decent human beings. That's what makes them so dangerous. They look all harmless and innocent on the outside, but on the inside they are depraved monsters.
2007-04-26 22:37:58 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because contrary to popular belief sex offenders are not complete ogres. They dont show that awful part of themselves to people for obvious reasons.
Also because when you think you know someone it comes as a shock...which brings disbelief....because it means you got it wrong!
2007-04-30 04:17:05 · answer #6 · answered by lilywort 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
people find it difficult to believe that some one is a sex offender because of the person's out ward behavioural character in the mist of other people.
2007-04-26 22:18:19 · answer #7 · answered by sam 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because we believe what we want to believe Cloughie.
It is that simple. It isn't easy to accept but the truth is that we as a race want to believe nothing will rock our own little boat and anything that will threaten our calm waters will be dismissed.
We believe what we want to believe.
2007-04-26 21:34:43 · answer #8 · answered by the old dog 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i agree that most people like to think they know who their friends and fmaily and co workers are, so when something like this happens you are so shocked and dont want to believe it, and think that it could have been you they did it to or your kids or whatever
2007-04-26 23:29:04 · answer #9 · answered by ? 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i think its because its all over tv all the time but when someone you know is reported thenit comes as quite a shock!
2007-04-26 21:30:26 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋