Effects Of Counterfactual Thinking On Punitive Responses

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Counterfactual Thinking on Punitive Responses
901644411
Eastern Kentucky University
Counterfactual Thinking on Punitive Responses
Counterfactual means, literally, contrary to the facts. Imagined alternatives, suggesting a hypothetical scenario where one or more antecedents are mutated so that they undo the factual outcome is called counterfactuals or counterfactual thinking. These thoughts can be generated from how the present could be different, or more frequently, how things could have been, what could have happened if one detail or action would have been different in the past. These counterfactual thoughts have a variety of effects on emotions, beliefs, and behaviors (Van de Ven, & Zeelenberg, 2015). When using words like …show more content…

T., & Branscombe, N. R. (1993). Racism, Counterfactual Thinking, and Judgment Severity. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 23(12), 980-995. Retrieved November 02, 2017.
Catellani, P., Alberici, A. I., & Milesi, P. (2004). Counterfactual thinking and stereotypes: The nonconformity effect. European Journal of Social Psychology, 34(4), 421-436. doi:10.1002/ejsp.206
Gilbert, E. A., Tenney, E. R., Holland, C., & Spellman, B. A. (2014). Counterfactuals, Control, and Causation: Why Knowledgeable People Get Blamed More. SSRN Electronic Journal, 41(5), 643-658. doi:10.2139/ssrn.2463520
Petrocelli, J. V., & Dowd, K. (2009). Ease of Counterfactual Thought Generation Moderates the Relationship Between Need for Cognition and Punitive Responses to Crime. Personality And Social Psychology Bulletin, 35(9). doi:10.177/0146167209337164
Summerville, A. (2011). Counterfactual Seeking: The Scenic Overlook of the Road Not Taken. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, XX(X), 1522-1533. doi:10.1177/0146167211413295
Trusty, D. (2017). Counterfactual Thinking and Punitive Responses. Unpublished paper, Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, KY.
Van de Ven, N., & Zeelenberg, M. (2015). On the counterfactual nature of envy: "It could have been me". Cognition and Emotion, 29(6), 954-971.

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