Rationalizers or realists? The effects of transgressors' just world beliefs within committed relationships

We test the interpersonal consequences of transgressors' BJW-others and BJW-self within the context of committed (or non-committed) relationships. Across two studies, one utilizing a recall paradigm allowing an insight into the real and varied experiences of transgressors (N = 221), the other a hypothetical scenario where commitment was manipulated (N = 139), BJW-others was associated with increased transgressor rationalization of behavior whereas BJW-self was associated with decreased rationalization. The effect of BJW-others was dampened in committed relationships due to low BJW-others. Implications for interpersonal relationships are discussed.