Coping with an unjust fate: The case of structural unemployment

Becoming a victim of structural unemployment means suffering an unjust fate. The present research examines the cognitive reactions subjects use to protect their belief in a just world and the related effects on their actual well-being within a sample of unemployed blue-collar workers in East Germany (all female). Results showed that the belief in a just world was positively correlated with attributing one’s unemployment to one’s own behavior and negatively with asking “why me?”, but uncorrelated with subjects’ readiness to change into another profession in order to get employed. Just world belief and depression were negatively related for those who either avoided the “why me?” question or who found an answer to it; but just world belief and depression was positively related for those women ruminating about an unanswered “why me?”. Results are consistent with the idea that the belief in a just world plays a significant role in the unemployed person’s coping process.     

“六个为什么”的实质及其回答尺度

＂六个为什么＂包含了我们党和国家在指导思想、发展道路、政治制度、政党制度、经济制度、发展动力等重大政治问题上的基本思想观点。科学回答＂六个为什么＂,必须把握历史尺度、实践尺度和国际比较尺度。历史尺度强调必须把现实问题放到较长时段的历史长河中,通过清醒的学理分析,形成切合实际的科学理解;实践尺度就是站在实践立场上,从理论与实践的结合上把握理论认识的真理性和科学性;国际比较即以宽阔的世界视野观察中国,从而保持清醒头脑,坚定理想信念。     

提问和回答:关于六个“为什么”的思考

六个"为什么",不是新问题,也不是新事物。中国革命的历史事实,有力地回答了:在中国,必须坚持马克思主义的指导,必须坚持中国共产党领导的多党合作和政治协商,必须走社会主义道路,必须实行社会主义公有制。人民公社化和"文化大革命"的曲折发展,证明建设"纯而又纯"的社会主义公有制是不行的。改革开放是强国之路,四项基本原则是立国之本,已经对六个"为什么"作出完整而正确的回答。现在重提六个"为什么",是因为:国内外对社会主义的疑问仍然存在,国际上意识形态的斗争仍未停息,国内"资本主义化"论调甚嚣尘上,国内"纯而又纯"理论仍有市场。要做到科学回答,必须做到:要从理论高度解释清楚六个"为什么",要从历史角度重新申明六个"为什么",要从特殊背景明确回答六个"为什么"。