A Literature Review of Deontic Justice and Prospects

Abstract

In early research, scholars suggest that people care about justice because of their demands for self-interests and interpersonal relationships, and thereby propose instrumental model and interpersonal model. However, recent research points out that people value justice owing to their moral obligation and contend that the purpose of pursuing justice is for its own sake. This motivation is deontic justice. Putting forward the deontic justice enriches the cognition of equity motivation for half a century. The theory provides a more reasonable perspective to explain behavior that people pursue justice which is of great significance for the development of equity theory. This paper reviews theoretical development, dimensions, measurement, influencing factors and outcomes of deontic justice, and points out directions in future research by combining trends and limitations of current deontic justice studies.