Psychological proximity and the construal of crime: a commentary on ‘mapping fear of crime as a context-dependent everyday experience that varies in space and time’

Jackson, Jonathan and Gouseti, Ioanna (2015) Psychological proximity and the construal of crime: a commentary on ‘mapping fear of crime as a context-dependent everyday experience that varies in space and time’. Legal and Criminological Psychology, 20 (2). pp. 212-214. ISSN 1355-3259

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Abstract

Fear of crime is a dynamic psychosocial phenomenon, and sophisticated methodologies are necessary in order to explore its multidimensionality and complexity. The experience sampling method (ESM) that is used by Solymosi and colleagues (2015) is a promising methodological way forward in fear of crime research. While acknowledging the advantages of ESM, in this commentary we discuss a potential disadvantage of the method, namely the possibility that ESM can increase the psychological proximity of crime. Drawing upon construal-level theory of psychological distance, we argue that ESM might sensitize people to think about crime through the lens of personal risk, with a knock-on effect on the construal of crime.

Item Type:	Article
Official URL:	http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(IS...
Additional Information:	© 2015 The British Psychological Society
Library of Congress subject classification:	H Social Sciences > HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare. Criminology
Sets:	Departments > Methodology Research centres and groups > Mannheim Centre for Criminology
Date Deposited:	20 May 2015 13:11
URL:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/62033/

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