The “just world fallacy” is the belief that a person always gets what they deserve in life – but the truth is that sometimes bad things happen to good people for no good reason.
The “just world fallacy” is the belief that a person always gets what they deserve in life.
If a person behaves as a good and moral person, then only good things will happen to them. And if a person behaves as a bad and immoral person, then only bad things will happen to them.
Commonly, the belief in the “just world fallacy” is often paired together with the belief in a God or divine order in the universe. For example, often you’ll see people justify a natural disaster destroying a town or city as God’s way of punishing them for wrong-doing.
Or when people find something going wrong in their own personal life, they will look to the sky and think, “What did I do to deserve this?” But the truth is that sometimes bad things happen to good people, for no good reason.
This type of thinking is ultimately a logical fallacy that distorts our thinking.
People don’t always get what they deserve – and this is a part of reality that we need to learn to accept.
Apart from human interaction, the world can actually be very indifferent and random. It doesn’t matter to a tornado whether it’s whizzing through an open meadow or a block of homes, just as it doesn’t matter to a lion whether it’s eating Hitler or Gandhi.
Nature takes its course without concern for morality, fairness, or justice.
In the same way, a lot of what happens to us is beyond our control, but instead determined by the “randomness” of nature and reality. One of the most obvious examples is: your own birth.
Some people are born into very free and wealthy societies, while others are born into very brutal and poor societies. Some people are born healthy and fit, while others are born with sickness and disease. Some people are born with good looks and talent, while others are born without much going for them.
Do you choose who you are born as? Of course not. A lot of it is just chance. Maybe you were born in fortunate circumstances, but you could’ve just as easily been born in unfortunate circumstances.
When people believe in the “just world fallacy,” they often look at people who are less fortunate than themselves and try to justify it. For example, “poor people just don’t work hard enough,” or “that person got fired from their job because they are an idiot.”
This is related to something in psychology known as the fundamental attribution error – when something bad happens to someone, we think it’s more due to their personality rather than external factors.
Don’t get me wrong, I think people should take some responsibility over themselves and their lives. We do have some influence and control over the outcomes in our lives, but it’s equally important to recognize where we don’t have influence too. It’s about balance.
Like most people when they first get into self improvement, I learned about the “law of attraction,” which tells you that reality is solely a product of your mind – and every good or bad thing that happens to you is your responsibility.
This is a type of “just world fallacy,” because it requires the belief that there is a supreme and just order to the universe. In my article, How the Law of Attraction Made Me Hate Myself, I elaborate on why this belief can hurt us:
-
“If everything in the universe is a product of your own mind, then you have a lot of weight to carry on your shoulders. It would mean that you are responsible for literally every good and bad thing that ever happened to you.
You didn’t get that new job you wanted? You got into a car crash and broke your leg? You were robbed coming home last night? It’s because you weren’t sending out the right “vibrations” to the universe. If you were, nothing bad would ever happen to you ever.
So under the law of attraction, anything bad that ever happens to you must be your fault, and that’s going to make you feel like shit.
The truth is that sometimes bad things happen to good people for no good reason. It has nothing to do with your mind or “vibrations,” it has to do with the simple fact that the universe is bigger than you, and not everything is always in your control.”
Letting go of the “just world fallacy” can seem scary at first. It means accepting the aspects of reality that you have no control over – and recognizing the chaos and injustice that can often exist in the world.
However, letting go of this belief is ultimately for the better. It teaches you to be more tolerant, understanding, and gentle in your judgments of both yourself and others. Because life isn’t always kind or fair to people.
The simple fact is you’re not to blame for every bad thing that happens to you, and you shouldn’t blame everyone for every bad thing that happens to them. When you stop making the “just world fallacy,” it often takes an unnecessary weight off of your shoulders that can be very liberating and relieving.
Enter your email to stay updated on new articles in self improvement: