Relative deprivation and social mobility: structural constraints on distributive justice judgments

In social justice research, evidence shows that—in western societies—a majority of the population considers their shares of material goods as just. A number of largely psychologically oriented models have been proposed to explain this astonishing finding. This paper goes beyond these statements, first, by asking why a minority of individuals are convinced of being treated unjustly and, second, by reflecting on structural antecedent conditions for judgments of injustice. Considering that occupational careers are shaped by institutional distribution systems to varying degrees, it is proposed that patterns of social mobility determine feelings of injustice. Based on a theory of rational investments and expected returns, four different types of mobility patterns are distinguished, and predictions are made as to how these patterns affect justice evaluations. Data from a life history study are used to test these predictions. It is concluded that feelings of injustice are not so much a matter of personal values but rather reactions to structural facts.