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The British Journal of Criminology 38:473-484 (1998)
© 1998 Centre for Crime & Justice Studies (formerly ISTD)

RESEARCH-ARTICLE

FEAR OF CRIME AND CRIMINAL VICTIMIZATION

Testing a Theory of Psychological Incapacitation of the ‘Stressor’ Based on Downward Comparison Processes

FRANS WILLEM WINKEL

Achmea Foundation Project. Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. This study forms part of the Quality of Victim Assistance Research and Training Development Project, which is being conducted in collaboration with the Netherlands Victim Support, and has been subsidized by the Achmea Foundation ‘Victim and Society’ (Stichting Achmea Stachtoffer en Samenleving). I am indebted to Dr Adriaan Denkers for his assistance in data analyses; to Dr Monique Rerusen, Dr Francien Wisman, and Dr Tamar Wohlfarth (who are part of the Achmea team) and the two anonymous reviewers of this journal for their comments on previous drafts of this ankle.

The empirical evidence supporting a fear—criminal victimization relationship is relatively weak and mixed. A fear-victimization model is developed which accommodates these seemingly incon The model suggests that fear responses are cognitively mediated. In particular, subjective victimization risk (SVR) and perceived negative impact associated with a victimization (NI) are postulated as cognitive products emanating from active adaptational processes elicited by the experience. The non-emergence of enhanced fear is hypothesized to result from compensation. This notion suggests that victimization tends to elicit upward tendencies in SVR (victims tend to report higher levels of SVR than non-victims), and downward tendencies in NI (victims tend to report lower NI levels than controls). As upward and downward tendencies are theoretically expected to cancel each other out fear of crime is not affected l victimization. Our findings clearly confirm these expectancies. Some implications for victim support are discussed. Inter alia, upward assessments (e.g. NI after > NI before victimization) in NI among victims are suggested as a cue for referral to victim support.


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