Paradoxical reactions of property crime victims

Abstract

Numerous studies have documented the negative impact of crime on victims’ emotions, beliefs, and behavior^1,2. Far more attention has been focused on reactions to crimes of violence, such as rape, robbery, and assault, than on reactions to property crime, such as burglary and theft³. In an attempt to address this problem, the research reported here examined the impact of burglary and theft on victims’ beliefs and emotions. Three hypotheses were tested: (1) victims who perceive greater potential harm in the crime situation (i.e., believe that “it could have been worse”) will feel less “wronged” than victims not holding this belief; (2) victims will perceive themselves as having less control over future crime victimization than those who have not been victimized; (3) victims who take more security precautions such as installing special locks and security systems will be less distressed than victims who take fewer such precautions.