The problematic relationship between victimization and fear of crime An examination of a cognitive victimization-fear theory

This article is concerned with an empirical examination of a cognitive theory of fear of crime that strives to bring contradictory results on the relationship between personal victimization and fear of crime into line. Its main idea is that a process of compensation exists between two cognitions: the perception of personal risk and the perception of the seriousness of the consequences of a potential victimization. If personal victimization leads to an adjustment of exaggerated consequence expectations to a less painful reality - that is, to a decrease of perceived negative impact - this could cancel out the fear-enhancing effects of an increase of perceived victimization risk. If no reassessment of the consequences associated with victimization takes place, personal victimization could generate a greater fear of crime, mediated only by higher perceived risk. Based on survey data from Austria and Slovenia structural equation models have been created. The results suggest a rejection of many core assumptions of a "theory of psychological incapacitation". In particular, no evidence for a decrease of perceived negative impact after personal victimization could be found.