Why We Blame Abuse Victims

Guest: Jason Whiting, PhD, Professor of Marriage and Family Therapy, Texas Tech University It might be uncomfortable to admit, but when we hear a news story about someone who was attacked, we might notice ourselves scanning the details to see how the victim was different from us. If we find that they were in a location where we never go, out alone after dark, drinking or doing drugs, we tend to feel safer, like it’s something that could never happen to us—but what we’re really doing is blaming the victim. Therapist Jason Whiting says that even though we do it as a way of protecting ourselves, that’s not to say we should be doing it. Understanding that it happens is important to changing how we think about abuse and violence.