SPHERE-SPECIFIC JUST WORLD BELIEFS AND ATTITUDES TO AIDS

This paper is predicated on the idea that Just World Beliefs (JWB) are multidimensional. It is proposed that individual difference in JWB are divided into three components referring to different spheres of behavior: personal, interpersonal, and social political (Paulus, 1983). A questionnaire was specifically devised to assess these beliefs. There was some evidence of internal reliability. A construct validity study is reported to substantiate the use of the new instrument. It examined the relationship between JWB and the attitudes to AIDS. As predicted, JWB beliefs were closely related to five attitudinal factors concerning AIDS. Socio-political just world beliefs seemed most closely linked to attitudes to AIDS, though the size of the correlations suggests the relationship was not very substantial. The structure of JWB are discussed along with other relevant research on attitudes to AIDS.