Abstract

BARREIRO, Alicia Viviana. Piagetian Belief in Immanent Justice: A Moment in the Appropriation of the Ideological Belief in a Just World. Psykhe [online]. 2009, vol.18, n.1, pp. 73-84. ISSN 0718-2228.  doi: 10.4067/S0718-22282009000100007.

The belief in immanent justice was described by Piaget as existing only among children, although some studies describe its presence in adults. Social psychologists have identified the ideological belief in a just world, which is similar to immanent justice. Moreover, this belief coexists with others forms of explaining social injustice in a polyphase cognitive process, even in adults. A study was conducted to analyze the development of immanent justice in students between 6 and 17 years old. The conclusion is that the belief in immanent justice can be seen as a justification of the belief in a just world, framed in animistic thought, and transformed during the process of development into two other forms of justification: social reciprocity and individual merit.

Keywords : immanent justice; belief in a just world; ideology; polyphase cognitive process; cognitive development.