Self-Blame and Blaming Others Mediate a Belief in a Just World and Hwa-Byung: a Structural Equation Model

The purpose of this study was to examine the mediating effects of self-blame and the blaming of others on the relationships between Hwa-Byung (meaning “anger illness” in Korean) and beliefs in a just world for the self (believing that a world is fair to oneself) and for others (believing that a world is fair to others), among 252 adults in South Korea. Our structural equation modeling analyses revealed that low justice beliefs for the self were directly associated with Hwa-Byung, and they indirectly influenced Hwa-Byung through an increased tendency to blame others.