Victim/Villain
According to Kurt Gray, when people see someone as a victim, what usually happens to how much blame we assign them?
We reduce or remove blame (we often see victims as morally innocent)
In moral typecasting theory, what two roles do people usually assign in moral situations?
Moral agents (doers of harm) and moral patients (receivers of harm)
Why do victims often escape blame even if they later do somethimg wrong?
Because people focus on their suffering instead of their responsibility
According to Gray, what is the main factor behind most moral judgments?
Perceived harm
According to moral typecasting, what happens to how we see the suffering of someone we see as a villain?
We tend to ignore or minimize their suffering
If someone is seen as very powerful, how are they usually perceived morally?
As more responsible and more blameworthy (more agency)
Why do villains often receive less sympathy even if they suffer?
Because people focus on their harmful actions instead of their pain
Why might two people disagree about the same moral situations?
Because they may see different victims and villains (different moral workds)
Why do people tend to see moral situations as black and white instead of complex?
Because moral typecasting is a mental shortcut that simplifies situations into victims and villains
If someone is seen as vulnerable or weak, how are they usually perceived morally?
As deserving more compassion and less blameworthy
What is one powerful way someone can reduce moral blame according to moral typecasting?
Being seen as a victim
What strategy involves denying wrongdoing, attacking the accuser, and reversing victim and offender?
DARVO
Why is it psychologically difficult to see someone as both a victim and a villain?
Because people naturally categorize others a either harm-doers or harm-receivers, not both
Why might learning about someone’s difficult past change how we judge them?
Because it increases perceived suffering and reduces perceived agency
When a perpetrator convinces others they are actually a victim, what often happens to the harm they caused?
It may seem justified and they may escape blame
Why is moral typecasting sometimes described as a “weapon”?
Because people can use it to shift blame and gain sympathy
When someone is seen as suffering harm, what do people usually assume about their character?
That they are morally bad or blameworthy
What happens to perceived suffering when someone is strongly blamed?
People tend to downplay their suffering
Why might someone excuse a persons harmful actions after learning about their past trauma?
Because their experience of threat, pain and fear make people more understanding
What is the key moral typecasting mistake people make when judging harm?
Believing someone must be either a victim or a villain instead of possibly both