Collective memory, belief in a just world and moral interpretation of history

BARREIRO, ALICIA VIVIANA

Estambul

Mesa redonda; 34th Annual Scientific Meeting of the International Society of Political Psychology; 2010

International Society of Political Psychology

The story of a social group is transmitted from one generation to another by oral narratives and official sources. The version of history taught in school is characterized by transmitting a moralized version of facts and historical figures, where take priority interpretations in terms of “good guys” and “bad guys”, "winners" and "losers", those categories are not intended promote understanding of the past, on the contrary, such version of the past contributes to create a national identity which people can be proud of, by legitimizing past actions (Carretero, 2007; Paez, et. al. 2008). This moralized interpretation of history could be made possible by the ideological belief in a just world (BJW) (Lerner, 1980, 2003), which operates by blaming victims for their suffering. This paper describes its appropriation process on a convenience sample of 216 students from Buenos Aires, 6 to 17 years-old. The results indicate that the BJW is present in 80% of participants and constructive processes were identified on its appropriation. It's possible to think that this belief and moralized version of history are mutually supporting: the first, as a master narrative for understanding the events, the second, offering narratives that legitimize and confirm the BJW.