Crime Victims’ Attributions for Survival

Abstract

There is a substantial body of work on attribution theory, which describes the processes by which individuals determine the causes of events and their outcomes; however, little is known about survival attributions. To ascertain the kinds of attributions made by survivors of violent crime, we collected and analyzed televised interviews with survivors. Our analysis of 51 interviews indicated that crime survival attributions took one of two forms: survival because statements and survival for statements. Survival because statements detailed how individuals survived, and survival for statements described why they lived. Interviewees mentioned surviving for their families, justice, and the greater good. Survival because statements emphasized the roles that God, family, emergency workers, and the victims, themselves, played in their survival. The discussion articulates possible explanations for these findings.

Keywords:

• Attribution Theory
• Crime
• Media Content
• Trauma
• Victimization

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kami Kosenko

Kami Kosenko (PhD, 2008, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at North Carolina State University.

Johanne Laboy

Johanne Laboy (MBA, 1994, University of South Florida) is a doctoral student in the Department of Communication at North Carolina State University.